Workers at Boeing’s warplane plants in St. Louis went on strike on August 4 after rejecting the company’s second contract offer.
After the second rejection, Boeing stated that it was unwilling to negotiate more than minor changes in its “Best and Final Offer.” Sticking to their hard-nosed stance, in the tentative agreement rejected on Friday, September 9, Boeing offered a signing bonus of $4,000. This was $1,000 less than what they had offered in the first round of negotiations. Boeing had withdrawn all signing bonuses after the workers rejected the first tentative agreement on July 27.
Workers say they are determined to hold out for substantially more. They compare the company’s stingy offer with what their brothers and sisters who manufacture Boeing’s civilian aircraft in Seattle won after a nine-week strike last year, differences which are summarized in a previous article. The big question before the workers is, why do the International Association of Machinists (IAM) officials keep coming back with tentative agreements that the workers have clearly said they won’t accept?
