Boeing workers pave way for strike

SEATTLE – Boeing Co. machinists voted overwhelmingly Wednesday for a preliminary strike authorization in a show of support for union negotiators in contract talks with the aerospace giant.

Around 15,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751 showed up at KeyArena, with 99 percent voting in favor of the strike authorization, union spokeswoman Connie Kelliher said.

Union members in Wichita, Kan., and Portland also approved strike authorization by similar margins, she said.

The vote is procedural and does not actually authorize a strike or indicate that one is likely.

The current contract expires Sept. 3. An additional vote by union members would be required before any walkout could occur.

About 18,400 machinists in the Seattle area, Wichita, and the Portland area struck for four weeks in 2005, forcing the company to halt production of commercial airplanes. The machinists assemble Boeing’s commercial planes and some key components.

Union officials said the most important issues this time around include job security, general wage increases, a guaranteed pension plan and improving health care benefits.

“We’re in the strongest position we’ve been in in 10 years, and we intend to leverage that unity,” District 751 President Tom Wroblewski told the crowd.

“The fact is, by the time you’ve had your second coffee break on your first day, Boeing CEO Jim McNerney has already made more than you will all year,” he said.

District 751 members haven’t had a general wage increase since 2004, but have had lump sum bonuses and cost of living adjustments, according to Boeing spokesman Tim Healy.

The company thinks a new contract will be reached by Sept. 3, he said.