The man at the grocery store "I'm on strike. They just kepp takin' and takin'. We're not putting up with it no more."

Grocery clerk "We're not union. We have to work for a livin'."

They're in the the stores stocking up like there's a storm a comin'. They're looking over the newest toys at 3 Rivers. They're test driving the new autos that fill the lots. They're hitchin' up the boat for an extended stay at their favorite getaway.

I here the Pres. of China will be in town. Timing is everything.

Yes, they have a big beef that they will have to pay more for their health insurance.

I work for a small enough company to know how much my insurance costs. You can be sure that many of those who voted to strike don't even know how much their total compensation costs the company. If they did, they might consider the 'hidden raise' they got for not having to pay even more than they do for the insurance.

So now if they don't jab it to you it's like a raise? Can I hire twenty of you?

Here's a question: Boeings stock price (52 wk range 48.10 - 68.38) and profits have been doing very well of late and are projected to have a very rosy future. Don't you agree that the employees deserve a piece of that? Or did the execs do it all on their own? You know the execs are going to get their piece.

poor timing for sure, there are alot of people in this country as well as China that would love to have those jobs

Thank you Stlhead!

When you weigh out the entire contract proposal, its a takeaway. They can keep the bonus and pay raises, just leave the medical alone, add a little to the pension, and dont screw the new generation of machinists when they retire.

We helped the company get lean. We are doing the same things with one production line and nearly half the people. They come up with the plans on paper, we make it reality. We have been there through thick and thin.

Most of the non-boeing public think we are crazy to go on strike. They say we make too much money. I dont make too much money, but I am very happy with what I make. Im sorry your not happy with what you make. I think you dont make enough.

Boeing will always show the media and the public the financial side of it looks very appealing without saying anything about the rest of the contract and what our issues really are. Instead of hearing what the highlights are, check out the proposal yourself. Id rather see someone think we are doing the wrong thing after reading through the contract and making up their own mind instead of hearing what the company wants you to hear.

Im not 100% pro-union, but They do have there place. If we dont fight for what is right, Im sure China will be next in line to do so!

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!

Well I see that Airbus(sp) has been shopping for subcontractors here in everett and lynnwood, so maybe after Boeing goes under all of you people that were let go can get a job with Airbus.........In two or three years. Saw a strike like this last two years on the east coast with Mack Trucks, before they dediced to pull out and take their plant some where else. I'm sure the people in kentucky,kansas or elswhere is pro stirke too, only for different reasons, I'll bet they could use the jobs......

Boeing has already pulled out.
This strike is 18,000 employee's. It should be about 65,000. the rest of those jobs are already in Chine, Korea etc.
Boeing has systematically moved most of it's operations overseas. The next airplane developement program will be in China or Japan and we in the US will be the subcontractors if we are lucky.
We have given away all of our technology in the name of "stock holder value" and corporate pay raises and bonuses for moving that work overseas.

Broodbuster is spot on. There's nothing keeping an employee from investing the bonus in a retirement account. In fact, if they chose to put the bonus in their 401k, Boeing will match it by 50%.

It's not just Boeing or unions. Nationwide Corps are trying to back out of their pension obligations. What happens when they are successful? It falls to all of us taxpayers via http://www.pbgc.gov/. It's a travesty that these major corps were allowed to underfund their pension plans in the first place and now that they owe millions or billions the courts allow them to back out completely. Not right.

Why are union workers 'always making too much'? Why is there so much envy? I didn't see any complaints when Boeing's last two CEO's who were fired for innapropriate conduct were given multimillion dollar severance packages. Must be nice to get fired as a ceo. The problem with Boeing starts at the top. Condit and Stonecipher were getting multimillion dollar bonuses in years when the company was losing money because of their mismanagement. All the while they were mortgaging the companies future by exporting its technology and processes to the far east.
As a former boeing mechanic those were the things that were very irritating to me. As a boeing employee I was laid off 2 times in the 4 years I worked there. I watched as they rehired people (who quit another job to come back) only to notify them they were getting laid off again before they recieved their first paycheck. The last year I worked there I was on mandatory overtime where my work week was 19 days on 2 days off. Try fishing with that schedule.

I'm sorry for rambling, but this really hit a nerve with me. Because I hear so many people talk about how working people are overpaid and over compensated. I tend to believe that the problem is that many of us are undercompensated, and that leads to jealousy. This country and the american dream has been based on the standard of living of its middle class. Yet it seems we all stand idly by while our standard of living is driven down, our jobs are exported to another country or a right to work state, and the wage gap between workers and executives continues to increase exponentially.

Don't be a hater. Support the strikers, you never know your job could be the next one under attack.

All power must have checks and balances or it gets out of control with greed. Just imagine our government if it had none. The Unions are our biggest check and balance we have. If not for them no one would have rights on the job as corprate greed would win out. Hell you none Union workers would not even have rights for Saturday and Sunday off, let alone benifits of any kind. Union workers fight to set a bar for all workers to strive for. And that fight costs us dearly in our wallets and our minds. But in the longe run it is worth it as we do it for all workers in America.

Please don't downgrade us for standing up for our rights and in the long term yours. We Boeing employees try to plan for these things as it is after all "Life at Boeing". But you really can't plan for 2 or 3 or maybe more months off without pay. Last contract they reversed 20 year of barganing and we let them because of bad times. Now with things cranking up big time they want more. We won't let them!

Sorry for the Rant,
Wsmitty

P.S. Yup I am fishing and doing good as long as I can ;=)

Some good points wingman and wsmitty, however there is a time and place to pick your fights and this may not be that time, the economy,fuel,credit explosion,and the outsourcing of jobs, not to mention that parts of this country are still in a recession,some of those people would love to work under the repressive, under-paying and under-benifited Boeing corp, and Boeing knows this.

Only those that work at Boeing know when the right time is. Believe it or not we are aware of the economics right now. Also not just anyone can build airplanes, you must have an FAA cetified workforce for most all the jobs we hold. Not saying that Boeing can't pack up and move, thats the chance we all take. But that would cost them much more then what it would take to push a contract through. One thing that most people don't realize is that the hourly workforce at Boeing is only 8% of the gross product. Most companies would die for that. We cost them very little. It is only politics and GREED that stop them from sharing just a little more. I have sat in on meetings of sales that Boeing has not anounced yet and the future looks incredible! They don't know how they are even going to do it yet. They are telling us we must build the 787 in less then 3 days. These are rates that have never been done. The same for the 737, They are talking rates of near 1 day to meet sales. If they can meet these goals with the workforce they want to keep it to the profits will be unreal. Sorry I could go on and on, but believe me as a workforce we have all thought long and hard about this since the last contract, the line has been drawn and we are willing to wage it all if need be.

Wsmitty

Hey did I tell ya that I caught a nice 11lb silver on Possession Bar today! Ah this is much better to talk about then politics. From now on just fish talk for me ;=).

Wsmitty

Way to GO Wsmitty, an 11lber, thats great man!!!

I think it is admirable that the machinists are taking a stand against the erosion of benefits. Companies have been using the argument that the contracts are in line with the market, but unfortunately the market (benefit packages) have seen degradation for several years now. Four years from now, if the present trend continues, the market will be even worse. There has to be some resistance.
Unfortunately, Boeing has invested most of the profits from the recent upturn into the 787- ensuring future jobs. And it is also pricing and selling planes based on assupmtions of compensation and productivity levels that don't seem to be making the workers happy. What a quandry- raise the compensation and therefore the product price and risk losing sales (and jobs) or hold tight on compensation and risk losing a productive workforce.

Both sides are right- good luck with the negotiations.

First off let me say that I am not a member of any union, nerver have been and most likely never will be. Unions are responsible for the 5 day / 40 hour work week and for that we all owe them a big thank you. Collective bargaining by unions is responsible for the middle class in this country. Does anyone think that any corporation on it's own would ever have us the workers anything other than starvation wages, no health insurance and no retirement programs. Union employees do set the standard by which all of us benefit.
The current adminstration is no friend to the union or the middle class of this country. Our earning power and benefits have all gone down in the last 4 and a half years and will continue as long as the power structure in this contry remains the same. Any union member who voted for G.W. got what you asked for.
Take the time to drive down to the picket line at Boeing and take the strikers aome bottled water or snacks to show them your support.

Thankyou Steve for understanding and the support!

Wsmitty

Thanks retriever and stever in everett.You guys are right on.I just got recalled and worked 4 days,voted,and went on strike.We all need to stick together and stand up for what is right for the working man(and woman).I'm mad as hell and i'm going to take this anymore.We need more job security or i might as well start learning a foreign language to survive.