"We've already won--we'll never be divided and weak again," said Rob Henley, an Industrial Methods Analyst. "The more rallies, the more united we become," he said.

Boeing's feeble attempt to start a back-to-work movement by unilaterally imposing its last wage offer has only hardened the strikers' resolve. The walkout has surprised the bosses, grounded delivery of new airplanes, and forced Boeing's stock into a nosedive. Even the company was forced to admit that fewer than 100 new employees returned to work of the 18,000 on strike against the giant commercial jetliner and war plane manufacturer.

Joining the rally were two busloads of Steelworkers from Spokane locked-out a year ago by the Kaiser Aluminum company. They were greeted by a thunderous chant of "One day longer," and received two standing ovations in the course of the evening when speakers referred to their struggle.

Dario Villabilanca, a striking tool engineer with 10 years at Boeing, noted, "The barrier between white collar and blue collar is breaking down."

The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) organized the rally two days after Boeing announced its decision to unilaterally impose the wage package of its third and final offer on all SPEEA-represented employees. Boeing had declared an "impasse" in the federal-mediated negotiations with SPEEA the previous week, claiming that it could impose its contract offer on the 22,000 SPEEA-represented workers, 4,000 of whom remain working. The talks had collapsed and no new negotiations are scheduled.

SPEEA challenged Boeing's declaration of an impasse, and has filed charges of unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board.

At the rally, Richard Trumka, secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO, said that the union federation is going to circulate an appeal throughout the labor movement for financial aid for the SPEEA strike. The AFL-CIO donated $50,000 and pledged $25,000 per week.

Don Jones, a member of the Teamsters union that organizes Boeing's 300 truck drivers, told the crowd that their contract with Boeing ends March 31. Negotiations had just begun on a new contract that very day. "We don't like crossing your lines," he explained. "You need to know we're behind you." Teamsters officials have abided by a no-strike clause in their contract, as have those of the International Association of Machinists (IAM), Boeing's largest union with some 30,000 members in the Puget Sound region.

Also speaking were Ron Judd, of the King County Labor Council; Craig Buckham, president of SPEEA; and Charles Bofferding, executive director of SPEEA.

Lynda Maynard, doing her picket duty outside Boeing's Renton factory described Boeing's move as "scare tactics." It won't work, she felt, because "if there is one thing Boeing could do to make us even madder," it was to impose their last offer.

Boeing's third contract offer was so poor, union negotiators didn't bother submitting it to a vote of the membership, since it included the benefit takeaways from Boeing's first contract offer rejected by 98 percent of the membership last December. Boeing chairman Philip Condit made clear the company's intent to wait out the strikers when he said that Boeing "has nothing more to offer."

The wage package Boeing instituted was basically the same as the second proposal that SPEEA members rejected in February. It offered a 3 percent salary increase over three years for engineers and guarantees only 2 percent pay raises each year for the technicians, all of whose salaries are well below industry standards. Raises of up to 8 percent in the first year touted by Boeing are at the discretion of company supervisors.

The strike has had an impact on Boeing, which missed 15 of 42 jetliner deliveries in February. The company has delivered only 15 planes since the strike began and delays have occurred on many of its military programs. In the first 10 days of March, Boeing has not been able to deliver a single airplane at its giant factories in Everett and Renton.

The strike is having its biggest impact, however, on the engineers and technicians themselves. With some pride, and a wink of his eye, Charlie Coombs, an electrical engineer with 12 years working for Boeing, said, "We didn't know how strong we engineers were until we struck!"

On March 9 SPEEA engineers and technicians celebrated their first month on strike on all their picket lines, with cake and a barbecue. They invited office workers and mechanics to join them on their lunch breaks. Hundreds of workers responded to the invitation.

One Machinist at the celebration outside the Renton factory where the 737 and 757 aircraft are assembled, told a striker, "Now you're learning that you're not a member of the Boeing family--you're a member of the labor family."  
 
 
Front page (for this issue) | Home | Text-version home