New president for Boeing Machinists in Washington

SEATTLE — The union local that represents about 32,000 Boeing machinists in western Washington has elected a new president. District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted Thursday to elect 41-year-old Jon Holden. He succeeds Tom Wroblewski, who resigned in January, citing health reasons after a difficult vote over pension concessions. Members narrowly agreed to move from a traditional pension to a 401(k) style pension in return for Boeing agreeing to assemble the new 777X in Washington. The Daily Herald reports Holden won 76 percent of the vote. He will complete Wroblewski’s term, which runs to 2016. Holden promises to give members more access to the union’s decision making process. For the past 11 years he has been a union business representative in Everett.