Negotiations between Boeing and striking US factory workers are set to resume on Tuesday under the guidance of a federal mediator, according to the union. This follows an overwhelming rejection of a proposal from the embattled aviation giant by the workers. "On Tuesday, the Union will meet with federal mediators assigned through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) and Boeing to begin discussions," stated IAM-District 751, a chapter of the machinists union representing over 33,000 members in the Seattle region, in a late Saturday update on its website. Boeing has yet to respond to an AFP request for comment.
The strike, which commenced on Friday over pay disputes, marks the first walkout at Boeing in 16 years. The company has expressed its eagerness to return to the negotiating table. Union leaders initiated the strike shortly after hourly workers in the Seattle region, in the Pacific Northwest, rejected the tentative contract offer with 94.6 percent of the vote, opting instead to strike with 96 percent support. The last strike, in 2008, lasted for 57 days. Federal mediators had indicated on Friday evening that talks would resume early next week but did not specify a date.
"Now is the moment to rise -- show Boeing that our voices aren't just loud; they are unstoppable," IAM-District 751 declared. "Let our presence on the picket lines echo across the country and beyond. We are stronger than ever before, and we won't back down." The strike has closed down two major plane assembly plants for the 737 MAX and 777 in the Puget Sound region, further complicating the financially strained company's efforts to recover. Under new CEO Kelly Ortberg, Boeing had hoped that a 25-percent wage hike over four years and a commitment to invest in the Puget Sound region would suffice. However, rank-and-file workers viewed the offer as an insult after more than a decade of nearly stagnant wages.
