Boeing accused of being ‘unprepared’ for federal mediation as strike continues

Union officials have accused Boeing of being “unprepared” after talks resumed to end the US’s largest strike. Boeing workers will be joined on picket lines by the president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Brian Bryant on Thursday a day after the company announced plans to furlough “large numbers” of employees. Around 33,000 workers at Boeing in Washington and Oregon began striking on 13 September. Union officials have said talks between the two sides have gotten off to a poor start. “Boeing must deliver a contract that reflects the hard work and sacrifices that workers have made over the past decade,” said Bryant. “The IAM and our 600,000 members have the backs of every single striking Boeing worker in this nation.” The company has announced a freeze recruitment efforts and is planning to enact furloughs affecting thousands of workers as the strike halts production, and costs to the company reach an estimated $100m per day. Workers voted 96% in favor of the strike after rejecting a tentative agreement that included 25% wage increases over the four-year contract, but workers have argued that came with takeaways. IAM Local 751 went into negotiations with Boeing and a federal mediator on Tuesday, but talks reportedly did not initially go well with union officials accusing the company of coming into the negotiation unprepared. “We will not mince words – after a full day of mediation, we are frustrated. The company was not prepared and was unwilling to address the issues you’ve made clear are essential for ending this strike: Wages and Pension,” the union’s negotiating committee said in a letter to members. “The company doesn’t seem to be taking mediation seriously,” the negotiating committee said. “We are fighting for what is right and just – for what we have earned over the past 16 years.”<br/>