this post was submitted on 24 Oct 2024
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Economics

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Striking Boeing workers have rejected a new offer from the plane-making giant, which included a 35% pay rise over four years.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union said 64% of its members voted against the proposed deal.

More than 30,000 of Boeing's employees have joined the walkout, which started on 13 September, after an initial offer was rejected.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (4 children)

The article is missing why they rejected the 35% over 4 years. What do they actually want? Do they want 35% now? I'd also be interested to know how much money they are willing to lose if the strike costs Boeing 100M per day. Are the wages being asked significantly more than that? If they could raise 35% right now and it were to cost them 100M, then putting offers on the table that are likely to fail and losing 100M/day is just idiotic.

[–] JoshuaFalken 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Boeing could pay them a 35% bump retroactive to the start of the year, guarantee them an inflation linked annual increase starting at 10%, and give them a beautiful pension.

They don't, because Boeing is run by money men now, and not engineers. Besides, it's not much a gamble when they can be confident in the worst scenarios, the workers get ordered back to work, or Boeing gets bailed out after losing all their money due to the strike. It's a win win win when your underlying goal is to not pay people what they're worth.

9% a year for the next four years doesn't even make up for the last four years of 'inflation'. I wouldn't take that deal either.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the workers get ordered back to work

What do you mean? Boeing can bark orders how long and how loud they want, why would the workers return if their conditions aren't met?

[–] JoshuaFalken 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It is a bit ambiguous, isn't it. To clarify, I'm talking about Boeing lobbying the government to end strike action and force the union to accept terms whether or not they want to.

It's happened in America, and it's happened in cold America.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

What.The.Fuck

[–] Poem_for_your_sprog 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Shop floor at Boeing makes the same as a McDonald's cashier in Seattle.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

Sounds like their boeing union issue... Good to see them finally acting like a proper union.

[–] Maggoty 7 points 1 month ago

Iirc, a pension.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Damn... Good thing boeing cant kill their entire union work force because it would ruin their business.

There is power in numbers

[–] Wooki 5 points 1 month ago

Dont worry the C suite is doing that already with how poorly they are running the business.

An engineering business undervaluing its engineers is suicide.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

I really support them and wish them the best, but I can't begin to believe that Boeing (or any other company these days) will ever go back to providing a pension. Those are from the America of yesteryear.

I hope I'm wrong.

[–] affiliate 3 points 1 month ago

imagine if we could somehow find a way to get the gamestop/“hodl” cryptobros to organize a strike of some kind. once the ball starts rolling it might be quite some time before it stops.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

You know, everyone's getting pissed off at seeing these numbers but it is over many years.

They've already lost 20% of their buying power just in the last 4 years, and that's if you go by the fake CP lie. Reality is you need food and shelter and transportation a lot more than you need a new smart phone (my phone is from before covid), so cost of living has gone up a lot more than it says for actual people.

It isn't really the company's fault that inflation went so high, but as a defense contractor they are one of the beneficiaries of The extreme government spending that led to the inflation. The fact that they've mismanaged themselves into Oblivion isn't really material here, that's entirely self-inflicted. Every time one of the Frontline workers tries to speak out they get assassinated...