I have to support RW. As a salaried employee my job is to provide him the tools to do his job. I do not touch parts and thus add value to those parts. The customer buys airplanes not the paper I push! Anybody who thinks this is the "Lazy B" is a fool. Times have changed. The mechanics I know do incredible things each and every day!

I do disagree with the IAM though. Pensions are not the answer. Why do we want to tax our younger (fewer) co-workers to pay for our retirement? What happens when they can't afford your pension payment? What happens when the company you work for declares bankruptcy on the day you retire? They don't pay it. Just ask the retired Northwest mechanics now that Northwest has defaulted. $9000.00 in hand is real money to be invested for retirement. No one can ever take that away! I'm amazed that the IAM can't see this as they watch it's membership gasp on life support at Northwest, AA and US Air. Not to mention Alaska Air just flat out dumped the IAM altogether about 3 months ago. Meanwhile Southwest just keeps humming along making a ton of money and buying 37's as fast as they can!!! Fixed cost's for future years can kill a company. GM is having a record year in sales and a record year in losses due to fixed costs to those who no longer add value to the product.

I think pensions are a hill that Boeing is willing to die on. If it's a hill the IAM membership is willing to die on than this one may go alot longer than 69 days.

Maybe it will go on so long that I will get laid off. Hopefully about Dec 1st so I can spend the month at Mora CG living off PB&J's and fresh steelie fillets .

I wish all of my IAM friends good luck. Enjoy your time off! Save a few fish and game for the weekend crowd and I hope to see you soon!