That's a laugh, it really means change your offer to what we want or we'll hold your company hostage. Is it any wonder why more and more manufacturing goes overseas, no unions to deal with, the people are grateful for their jobs, huge savings on expenses. You hear more and more complaints about US jobs going overseas, who is at fault, the so called greedy companies wanting larger profits for their investments or the worker who thinks he has a right to dictate to his employer. Employers have huge financial investments in their companies, workers have no investment whatsoever except their labor which is paid for on a regular basis, if the company folds up the worker is out of a job and needs to find another, but yet they think they have the right for equal input. Why do they always have the us versus them attitude as if their enemies? The employer bids and finds work to provide them jobs, without the employer the worker is just that, someone looking to sells his or her labor's and by the unemployement figures there are plenty looking to sell their labors for a decent wage, a fair health plan and the other fringe benefits. It always happens that the worker goes out on strike, they think they are going to get a vacation and bring their employer to their knees, then after awhile if the employer has not begged them to come back to work they get angry and blame the employer for their actions. What about their ARM mortage, what about their monthly payments for utilities, food, car payments, etc. I don't care what they finally settle their contract for they never make up the money lost, the average worker gets behind in the monthly bills. If the strike goes on long enough they can loose their cars, even their homes. The employer almost always has strike clauses in their contracts with their customers so they are safe there and the money they are saving not paying wages, health and welfare benefits allows them to sit tight for awhile, that is until a federal mediator forces them back to the table to negotiate which they never left in the first place.

Seriously, most of want better jobs, better pay, better benefits but the difference from those of us non union workers is we don't cost our company's millions of dollars. I think every last one of them should be fired we have the highest unemployment rate in years and these workers have the audasity to cost Boeing millions of dollars? No wonder they aren't getting the pay they want. There are thousands of people that would take their jobs in a heartbea.

If the union employees go on strike for just a few days, they make their point and have a strong position on which to negotiate. But if they stay out for a lengthy time, they suddenly find themselves in a position where they will never make up the money they have lost with whatever pay and benefits they finally get. In the end, everyone has shot themselves in the foot because no planes are being built and no one is getting paid. If you hurt the company you hurt yourself; it is the source that puts bread on your table and clothes on your back after all. Think about that while you're out there ruining your shoes in the rain.

Get back to work and stop complaining. We should pay or teachers as well as you presently have it, they are the ones building our futures, not you.

To just let the politicians decide on who wins the next Air Force Tanker deal. I'm betting that a whole lot of Boeing employees better stop whining and reserve UHaul trailers to move to Alabama - so they can ply their skills on the European project.

It's obvious the greedy Boeing strikers don't have ANY public support. Get your azz back to work or be prepared to be unemployed permanently. What a bunch of cry babies.

You guys are paid too much as it is. Quit your whining and get back to work! I am sure there are plenty of others who would love to have your jobs! Even overseas!
So much for your lost tanker deal! Poor time to strike!

Seriously, quit whining, stop being psuedo-martyrs and go back to work. It's pathetic.

Group think at it's worst and proudly displayed.

With all of the people out there losing their jobs and homes I think it is crazy for the machinists to turn down Boeing's offer. They seem to think that working for a company should insure a lifetime of income and benefits. The pension is supposed to be a supplement to Social Security and personal savings. Health care costs have skyrocketed and I feel it is only fair for the employees to carry part of the burden. We had a 20% copay after a $500 deductible and we paid part of the base cost. All the union is doing is leading the workers down the same road that the auto workers union did. Drive the costs up until the company is not competitive. Outsourcing work is the natural outcome of rising costs and a global economy. Have the workers done the math? How long can they be on strike before they eat up all of their gains? Are the union officials not collecting their paychecks while their workers are on strike?
There are many qualified people out there that could do what these machinists are doing and would be ecstatic to make these wages. Yes, it would take time to train them but what these people do is not so skilled that others can't do it.
Boeing has made a lot of money and that is good for all of us. Companies that make money pay taxes and support all of us. Those that don't are a burden on society. What Boeing makes shouldn't be an issue. Those profits help reduce debt and fund research and development.
On the other hand, Boeing executives should look at what they make. Many of their salaries are far greater than is reasonable. They should be rewarded for running a successful business but all of the stock options and other benefits have become excessive. Unfortunately, this is true of a vast majority of companies and the Boards need to correct this. Executive pay is out of control.

I am a retired Boeing employee. Boeing offers big money bonuses because it looks good to the media and nonBoeing workers. The bonus does nothing in the day to day cost of living. Living on a fixed income only works if you retire with lots of SAFE investments, have no medical issues and no bills. The Union needs to ask for cost of living adjustments for future retirees, and the right to prove that they can do the job as good as, or better, before it is taken away. There is no real thing as "JOB SECURITY", but you should have the right to fight for your job. Both sides need to stop with the name calling, it makes both sides look childish, and get back to the table. Is the real issue that Boeing wants the workers on strike because of some problems with the 787? The real reason for all Boeing strikes has been that it benefits the company.

If you take Boeing's last year's profit and add to that the billions (yes, with a B) of dollars of back orders waiting to be built, you find Boeing Company fooling around with an amount of money that is more than the budgets of some small countries. That's a lot of money by any one's standards.
I generally don't like Unions because they actually do more harm than good and screw up the economy for everyone else. On the other hand, big businesses frequently go out of their way to screw over employees, where legitimate wages and benefits are concerned, and that is what causes employees to form unions in the first place. The usual outcome, like now with the Machinists strike, is that the employees go on strike, without pay for as long as they are on strike, and the company loses lots of money because no work is being done. The bottom line to that is that both sides have shot themselves in the foot just to maintain their respective egos.
Call me silly if you will, but it seems to me that the intelligent thing to do would be for both sides to come to the table and present their best arguments to an arbitrator and then have to live with whatever decision the arbitrator makes. That way neither side is happy with the outcome and that, in itself, proves the binding arbitration is fair. Having done that, everyone one can get back to work and do whatever it was they should have been doing in the first place.

The Boeing machinists are greedy. The economy is in the toilet and many people are happy to just have a job much less a raise, yet they are offered guaranteed pay raises for the next three years and that is not good enough for them. Puh-lease.

My husband is a 68 year old computer geek who works for Boeing as well but not unionized. His raises are based on merit. So now my husband is getting up in the wee hours of the morning to go in and do someone else's job and help take up the slack for these, well, slackers.

The Unions had their place decades ago when there weren't laws in place to ensure that employees were treated fairly. Today it just seems they exist to line someone's pockets - and usually that is the Union leaders!

johnesherman!

You are at least right in theory! The sad part is even with a labor contract Boeing Management or lack of it still require Union stewards to decipher the wording in the contract. One would think all you wrote would be said and done However nothing could be further from the truth. Boeing lack of management still try and gut the very contract the workers are striking for right now after it is settled and signed. If the general public only knew how dazed and confused Boeing management really is they would paint an entirely different picture. Factory floor management is made up mostly of rejects who could not do the job they were hired for and as strange as this sounds for whatever reason Boeing has and always will fail to fire those same rejects. Instead they promote them. That is the reason they will not let supervision do even the little things in the factorys while the workers are striking. Why? Because they havent even those skills to do the little things. Sad but true.

is paying to much already. Most of them employees are just laborers

And with a signing bonus? Where do I sign up?

As a spouse of a Machinist currently on strike and not earning a paycheck I am not on either side, I am on the side of reason! I would like BOTH sides to get back to the table and start NEGOTIATING a fair contract offer that can be voted on. The union leaders say they are standing side by side with the Machinist on the picket line - but they are still collecting their paychecks! Boeing says they anticipate this strike lasting a month or more. Why not get to the table, NEGOTIATE on both sides, and get these Machinist back to work building the best airplanes in the world.

There are many companies within Washington State that employ union workers covered by union contract and there are many more companies within Washington State that employ non-union workers within their workforce, so everybody already known that you just might say, but look at how much internal company management administration must be expended to satisfy the employees needs, wants, concerns, issues, inter-personal employment issues, and wage-disparity perceived by the employee. For example, with a firm written union employment terms and conditions contracts in place; as a result, most employers and most administrative managers can concentrate on the company producing value added goods and services and that is why they are in business, also they do not have to mess-around with messy-employee details on a daily basis, employee dispute settlement, wage concerns (who is getting paid more and why I am not), so concentrate on products and services that results from these contract or union employees value added work effort results.

But now, in what I believe is a fair comparison, the non-union employer always has non-written verbal employment contract things that must be worked out individually between each "at-will" employee (or the employee without an employment written contract and absent terms and conditions that apply to both) or just keep employee motivation, employee costs down, and prevent loss of a valuable employees skill; for example, who is getting paid how much money for the value-added-work they provide, management's personal meetings with each employee related to their job—performances reviews, coaching, I need more money, poor performance, the other person makes more money than me, why do I have to do that job and not them, when will I get a promotion or wage raise, that persons always late-to-work so why talk to me? So for the non-union employers a lot-of expensive management time is spent not getting the value added goods and services out the door to the customer, but management's expensive resources are tasked to solving interpersonal workplace employee satisfaction issues everyday, every week, every month, and every years. As a result, this money for non-union "at-will" employee management has to come at the expense of the companies produced value added products or services results. And, maybe management, the people that have all the knowledge and product skills necessary, that benefit the company and its products results; perhaps just don't have the time nor incentive to think about what the company is in business to produce as its business plan goal.

So I think this, within this labor dispute between workers and the company; as a result, once settled and the union-contract-based employees go back to work; it just follows, the company will have fixed costs defined, presented, and for a future term, and all company management and all company employees can do what they should be doing all the time; for example, concentrating all their knowledge and skills to the value added work results of the company and not get side-tracked and sucked-up-into daily employee workplace employment disputes as a non-union employer must accommodate to have a happy work force.

So, I will say again: After the union contract settlement; it just follows. Boeing will laugh and smile all the way to its bank with the money it receives from the results of everybody working toward why Boeing is in business to build their products and not employ a lot-of-people to solve daily employee disputes between employees or the employer.

And, that is my opinion.