Boeing woes will not erode workers' readiness to strike, union says

Boeing's financial and production challenges following a January mid-air panel blowout will not change its workers' readiness to strike to make gains in bargaining, a union local president said on Thursday. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), which represents more than 30,000 Washington state workers building Boeing jets, wants better retirement benefits and wage increases exceeding 40% over three to four years after what it termed years of stagnant earnings. "We are going to maximize this opportunity no matter what," Jon Holden, president of the IAM's District 751 representing the Seattle-area workers, said in an interview with Reuters. "Our members want an agreement, they want a good agreement but they are willing to strike if they have to." IAM workers are scheduled to vote for a strike authorization mandate on July 17, but they cannot strike before the contract expires on Sept. 12. Boeing did not respond to a request for comment on the union's potential strike plans. The planemaker is trying to manage a sprawling crisis that erupted after a door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX jet on Jan. 5. Boeing's chief financial officer said last month the company would burn rather than generate cash in 2024 and deliveries would not increase in the second quarter. Workers held a noisy rally on Tuesday at Boeing's Renton plant outside Seattle, coinciding with a media visit to showcase quality improvements at the factory.<br/>