Machinist union's president calls Boeing's contract offer 'crap'
SEATTLE – Boeing and the Machinist Union are negotiating a new contract. But already, many machinists are saying negotiations won't get far.
"It's a piece of crap," Machinists Union Local 751 President Tom Wroblewski said of the deal at the union's first meeting Thursday night.
The proposed deal is an 8 year agreement between Boeing and machinists. It would provide a 1 percent pay raise every other year and include a 10,000 dollar signing bonus.
But, the law would bring changes to wages for new hires would raise healthcare costs for the rank-and-file. Under the new contract, it would take a new hire 16 years to reach the top of the pay scale instead of the current six years. Machinists pensions would change to a 401K savings plan.
The union was originally scheduled to vote next week, but Wroblewski said a vote on the contract is doubtful, as he and many union members are not satisfied with its current form.
Lawmakers in Olympia are debating a 8.7 billion dollar tax break bill geared towards Boeing for the company to build its new 777X jet in Washington State. A deal that could secure thousands of jobs possibly for the next decade. However, Boeing has said it all hinges on whether the Machinist Union will accept its offer.
Shortly after the Union meeting Thursday, Boeing released a statement, saying “We chose to engage in Puget Sound first, but without full acceptance by the union and legislature, we will be left with no choice but to open up the process competitively and pursue other options for locating the 777X work. If this is not ratified per the scheduled union vote on November 13th, we will begin taking the next steps.”