More than 33,000 Boeing machinists walked out on strike just after midnight Sept. 13, just a few hours after voting down a tentative agreement by an overwhelming margin. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reported that 94.6% voted to reject the agreement, and 96% voted to strike. The strike shut down aircraft manufacturing plants in Gresham, Oregon, and in Renton and Everett, Washington. It’s the biggest U.S. strike so far in 2024, and the first strike at Boeing since a 58-day walkout in 2008.
“There’s been a lot of pent up anger and frustration because of the long-term contract that we’re coming out of,” said Brandon Bryan, directing business representative of Machinists District Lodge W24 in Oregon. Along with Jon Holden of Machinists District 751, Bryant helped lead the Boeing negotiations for the union.
This year was the first time Boeing workers have had a full-fledged contract renegotiation in 16 years. Their previous contract was extended twice amid threats that Boeing would manufacture new planes elsewhere, and the last of those extensions replaced the defined benefit pension with a 401(k) as of 2016. Bryant said that seemed to cause a big wound for the membership. Byrant said the resulting agreement was the best the union had ever gotten. But it wasn’t enough to heal that wound…