cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/21648625
From the article:
Unionized machinists at Boeing voted Monday to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks.
Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers district in Seattle said 59% of members who cast ballots agreed to approve the company’s fourth formal offer and the third put to a vote. The deal includes pay raises of 38% over four years, and ratification and productivity bonuses.
However, Boeing refused to meet strikers’ demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.
The average annual pay of Boeing machinists is currently $75,608 and eventually will rise to $119,309 under the new contract, according to the company.
Boeing can’t really replace workers. The union is so strong because aerospace machining is a very difficult job that takes years and years to learn—if they cut their workforce and start anew, they will lose enough productivity that it won’t be worth whatever wages they save.
This is already part of the problem. You can’t really treat aircraft workers the way they have. When a 40 year worker retires, a new hire isn’t really a replacement. Looking solely at headcount is foolish.