This story was originally published on Common Dreams on November 5, 2024. Shared here with permission under the Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) license.
After a seven-week strike, Boeing employees voted Monday to approve a new contract that includes a 43.65% pay increase over four years. That’s a significant improvement over the 25% pay increase the aerospace giant offered in September.
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Districts 751 and W24 voted 59% to 41% about two weeks after rejecting a tentative agreement that called for a 35% pay increase over four years. Approved this contract. .
The contract approved by workers also includes a $12,000 authorized bonus, improved severance and medical benefits, and improved overtime rules.
“Strikes work,” labor journalist Kim Kelly wrote in response to the contract vote.
In a joint statement, John Holden and Brandon Bryant, presidents of IAM District 751 and W24, respectively, said in a joint statement: “We want to show you what it looks like when a company goes overboard and takes more than its fair share. Working people know.”
“Through this strike and resulting victory, Boeing’s front-line workers did their part to rebalance the scales in favor of the middle class. In doing so, we We want to inspire other workers in our industry and beyond to continue standing up for a strike where “justice is at work,” Holden and Bryant said. “Through this victory and the strike that made it possible, IAM members took a stand for respect and fair pay in the workplace.”
“A livable wage and benefits to support a family are essential, not optional. This strike highlights that reality,” they added. “This contract will have a positive impact on the lives of Boeing employees and their families for generations. We hope these results will inspire other workers to organize and join unions. Our front-line workers at Boeing have used their voices, their collective strength, and their collective strength to do what’s right, stand up for what’s fair, and win.”
IAM International President Brian Bryant called the agreement “a new standard for the aerospace industry and sends a clear statement that aerospace jobs must be middle-class careers in which workers can thrive.” There is,” he said.
“Aerospace workers, led by IAM, the world’s most powerful aerospace union, will not compromise on anything less than the respect they need and deserve and the wages and benefits that support their families,” Bryant said. he said. “This agreement reflects the positive results of workers coming together during a necessary and effective strike, participating in workplace democracy, and demonstrating solidarity with each other and with their communities.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and an outspoken supporter of the Boeing strike, on Monday congratulated IAM members on a “hard-fought victory.” expressed.
“We also want to reassure Boeing President John Holden and Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg that Boeing will continue to produce high-quality aircraft that contribute to the safety and mobility of our nation. “I am grateful for their efforts to reach an agreement while also appreciating and respecting the fact that there is no Boeing Company without Boeing Company,” Jayapal said in a statement.
Echoing remarks from union leaders, Jayapal specifically thanked the Biden administration’s acting Labor Secretary Julie Su for helping secure the agreement, saying her “skilled leadership” brought “both parties to the table.” He said that he had led to a “skein agreement.”
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