Boeing strike: bosses bruised, blindsided and on brink of crisis - eviltoast
reuters.com
www.reuters.com

Boeing bosses are staring down the barrel.

The twists and turns of the past week paint a picture of managers badly wrong-footed by the depth of fury among workers who tossed out a 25% pay rise deal and launched strike action.

“They probably didn’t think that we had enough people for the strike,” Kushal Varma, a Boeing mechanic, told Reuters. “But this is a movement of people who are willing to put their livelihoods on the line to get what’s fair.”

  • orcrist@lemm.ee
    7·
    21 hours ago

    The Reuters authors are far too generous to corporate leadership. No, the bosses weren’t blindsided. No, the bosses weren’t surprised. All of the demands and expectations are ones you would predict.

    This kind of situation is exactly when strikes happen, and if anyone in management wasn’t prepared for it, they’re unqualified for their job. Or they’re liars. Or both.

  • AstridWipenaugh@lemmy.world
    9·
    23 hours ago

    How the fuck are the bosses blindsided by this? I read about this shit on the Internet days ago. It’ll be cheaper to just pay them then fuck up your production lines and have to mitigate a PR disaster. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

  • davad@lemmy.world
    17·
    2 days ago

    Does anyone have concrete info on the offer and why it was rejected? Reading between the lines, it sounds like some of the issues were:

    • 24% is a lot, but doesn’t bring them back to where they were 16 years ago when their last general wage deal happened
    • Contract reduces or removes performance incentives, which might reduce take-home pay overall
    • Some employees are mad that their pension was taken away a decade ago
    • They don’t trust Boeing to keep it’s promise about building the next commercial jet in the region

    Anything else?

    • eldoom@lemmy.ml
      17·
      1 day ago

      1. The 25% raise is actually a 13% raise then 4% more each year. This barely keeps up with the rate of inflation and isn’t a real raise. They are also trying to increase the rate at which they cap out their pay.

      2. They are trying to fight the mandatory overtime which is understandable.

      3. Yes the pension they definitely want their pensions back.

      4. This is all about job security. They don’t want Boeing to make a plant somewhere else where it’ll be cheaper to pay the employees and such.

  • thesmokingman@programming.dev
    42·
    2 days ago

    Boeing execs said they held nothing back. The union members took that to be threatening. I genuinely wonder how much profit was actually reserved and how much executive comp is still available to drop into the pool. To me, “holding nothing back” means the company genuinely cannot to fund anything else without going into the red. Holding nothing back means fat was cut, executive pay was reduced, and shareholders understand their dividends are gone because the people that make them money need to get some too. Holding nothing back means some rainy day assets are sold and corporate, non-union members experience some austerity (granted you have to remain competitive so as to not lose your value creators so you can’t cut everything or they’d leave; executives are almost never value creators so they can have austerity measures). Holding nothing back means jobs could be cut if more hardship appears.

    Something tells me Boeing was holding stuff back with that offer. It could be all the deferred stock executives have or the lack of shareholder expectation management. Not sure! We’ll never know.

  • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.netEnglish
    82·
    2 days ago

    Awww. Those poor bosses. They might have to make some hard choices; kind of like the people they employ who may have to choose between food or rent.

    I realize airline mechanics make half decent money, but still. No sympathy (Edit: for Boeing, if that wasn’t completely clear).

    Now, a proverb a Russian I met early in my career told me: every man is the architect of their own hemhroids I swear the guy was the next Pushkin

    • TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.comEnglish
      117·
      2 days ago

      I realize airline mechanics make half decent money, but still. No sympathy.

      Gross and stupid take on this.

      • Track_Shovel@slrpnk.netEnglish
        23·
        2 days ago

        I think you’re reading me wrong. My lack of sympathy is for Boeing. I’m entirely sympathetic to the mechanics

  • IninewCrow@lemmy.caEnglish
    492·
    2 days ago

    When all powerful bosses who think they control everything and everyone realize who has the most power.

    Good for the workers … now watch government lackies step in to support big business.

    Whatever happens it should show the country that solidarity matters … hopefully it spreads everywhere else.

    • APassenger@lemmy.world
      15·
      2 days ago

      If the government steps in, I expect them to make the point to bosses - “fix this. We aren’t undermining labor and your company is of national import. Unfuck your shit, it’s not our problem and it isn’t theirs. Figure it out.”

      • Chocrates@lemmy.world
        184·
        2 days ago

        That’s now how Biden works, at least in regards to the train strike. He prefers to hope he can convince the capitalists when there is no pressure and in secret. Somehow it seemed to actually work, though I’m pretty sure the workers didn’t get a lot of what they wanted.

        • enkers@sh.itjust.works
          124·
          2 days ago

          Somehow it seemed to actually work

          Tell that to East Palestine. Train derailments are on the rise because of lax safety measures, and this was one of the issues that the workers were trying to resolve. Instead Biden had congress force them back to work.

          • Chocrates@lemmy.world
            31·
            2 days ago

            I vaguely recall he got some concessions. But agree it is a travesty and still extremely under regulated.

        • _tezz@lemmy.world
          132·
          2 days ago

          Biden got the rail workers what they asked for, this isn’t quite right.

          https://ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid

          “We’re thankful that the Biden administration played the long game on sick days and stuck with us for months after Congress imposed our updated national agreement,” Russo said. “Without making a big show of it, Joe Biden and members of his administration in the Transportation and Labor departments have been working continuously to get guaranteed paid sick days for all railroad workers.”

          • Bonskreeskreeskree@lemmy.world
            53·
            2 days ago

            Sick days was only a part of what they wanted. Extremely disingenuous to make it out like all their demands were met. I think trump can get fucked, but to ignore the issues with dem leadership is to enable their poor behavior.

            • _tezz@lemmy.world
              11·
              2 days ago

              Can you provide me some more information about this? Because you made it sound like Biden was sitting in the Oval Office rubbing his hands together, waiting to tell these workers to get fucked, which IS disingenuous, when the OBEW themselves have issues this statement. I’m not a rail worker, they are, I’m going to listen to what they’re telling me about their experience.

              Unless that’s you, you’re an IBEW worker affected by this deal, I’m not gonna do a ‘trust me bro’ on this.

              • Bonskreeskreeskree@lemmy.world
                2·
                22 hours ago

                I stated facts. Ones that you can easily verify with an internet search. What you read into my words is not of my concern. While you sit there thinking I have ill intent towards biden, I don’t. I voted for him and was prepared to again. It doesn’t change what he did and turning a blind eye to someone’s actions because of their party affiliation is why America is slipping in the wrong direction. Accountability for all.

    • Vanon@lemmy.worldEnglish
      10·
      2 days ago

      I’m trying to imagine how T**** would try to handle this. First, extort Boeing execs in exchange for help. Then, once the “donations” clear, use all powers and pressures to crush the strike, firing so-called strike leaders (illegal? add it to the pile…), and dump in more police/military for intimidation.

      Bernie and progressives will undoubtedly fully support workers, join the line. Biden can strengthen his “most pro-union president” legacy (it’s a low bar, not perfect). Great opportunity for Harris and Walz (but it needs to be very strong or it will only disappoint).

      bothsides.jxl

  • werefreeatlast@lemmy.world
    21·
    2 days ago

    This is going to get complicated. I’m thinking for example that there may be some time sensitive items that are part of the building process and which would need to be restarted to be able to continue. Kind of like university classes, of you miss one they force you to pay for another year or quarter to take the class. There’s gotta be stuff like glues, assemblies, safety checks, long lead items, etc that are gonna be painful to Boeing just to restart the process.

    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
      51·
      1 day ago

      Doesn’t bode well for them…

      You know, along with all the other news about Boeing in the last 5 years…

      Honestly, I think it’s time to throw in the towel. Maybe go into support and service mode for all their existing products, and just not develop anything new.

  • sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip
    36·
    2 days ago

    On the one hand, I am glad this is finally happening.

    On the other hand, I am 99% certain my father, who’s worked at variously the Everett and Renton plants his entire adult life, is continuing to be a scab, as he has also done his entire adult life.

    Raised me on Rush Limbaugh, last I talked to him he was a Q Anon nut that believed Antifa did Jan 6th and Tom Hanks’ son rapes and kills children for their adrenochrome.

    The 1% uncertainty is not from a 1% chance he might actually also be striking, its the 1% chance he’s either retired or died from a heart attack since I last spoke to him.

    Either way, fuck Boeing.

    • Cocodapuf@lemmy.world
      3·
      1 day ago

      There’s a lot to unpack there…

      Well that sounds frustrating as hell. And hey, I know a rando on the Internet has no business commenting on your relationship with parents, but all the same, I’m sorry man, that sucks. I hope he can find a way to change.

  • Rentlar@lemmy.ca
    26·
    2 days ago

    Honestly, I won’t hold it against IAM leader Holden too much. Boeing would stall and give shitty and completely worthless offers, then at the last minute double the largest point of contention (wage), so it looked fine from the lens of bargaining trade-offs.

    Still, the workers are right to put this offer into the trash bin, sending a clear message to IAM leaders they have far more leverage, and to Boeing management that union members have lost all patience for their penny-pinching.

  • 21Cabbage@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
    12·
    2 days ago

    The way that headline was worded I was hoping there was an actual fight between desk jockeys and wrench monkeys.