Boeing 777X setback after union vote

The vote was 51% for, a squeaker. That's great. Those guys get to keep their $75K a year jobs on track for $100K very shortly. Not bad for a high school grad with no further education.

reply to post by schuyler


Keep shooting your mouth off, that really helps. We just signed on to only a 4% increase in pay in the next 11 years. How much do you think the cost of living will go up during that time?

Most people (including me) do NOT make 75K at Boeing. The misconceptions about the money we make is appalling to me. If I don't work overtime I have $100 of disposable income left after I pay my bills a month to play with. I anticipate that the cost of living will eat up even that in short order.

The media has fried us over this BS. We just gave up some BIG concessions to a contract that would have taken us into 2016 due to the company threatening to move our jobs elsewhere if we did not sign. This was nothing short of extortion perpetrated on us by one of the biggest companies in this country.

SIGN THIS or we will move your jobs out of state. This is the choice we were given, and the media is trying to make us out to be spoiled union workers. This was unethical to say the least. I was very surprised that it passed even with a 1% margin. It should not have passed because our company is making record profits and trying to screw us out of the narrow margin that the cost of our skilled labor adds to an airplane to line their corporate pockets.

It really offends me how the media has raked this union over the coals during this unethical vote. Unethical in every respect.

Zaphod58
reply to post by Sammamishman

 

I would personally love to see them move it and knock the unions down a peg or two.

Thereby - hurting working people everywhere in the process. Strong unions contribute to a strong and sound (meaning somewhat equitable) economy. History shows us (and other sound nations) shows us that strong unions correlation to economic strength at all levels.

I've never held a union job - but the best jobs I've had were in companies that had a strong union presence. Union jobs 'pull-up' jobs for everyone, union protected jobs help protect all jobs.

Union busting is a tool (and used by 'tools of') proponents of 'trickle-down' economics and we have thirty plus years of proof that nothing trickles down, only up in trickle - voodoo economicis. Thanks Saint Ronnie the Tool.

Brandyjack
The one and only original J. P. Morgan would explain to you, how he would not invest in numerous companies. His basic measure, the wages of the lowest paid worker compared to the President-Owner-CEO. Exceed his absolute ratio and he would not invest or buy the company.

Hoave you a reference for this. I am interested in what that 'ratio' was and in which direction he would base his decisions on. Thank you.

Coopdog
reply to post by schuyler

 

Most people (including me) do NOT make 75K at Boeing. The misconceptions about the money we make is appalling to me. If I don't work overtime I have $100 of disposable income left after I pay my bills a month to play with. I anticipate that the cost of living will eat up even that in short order.

OK. Correct the damn record. The average pay of "machinists" at Boeing has widely been reported as $33.00 an hour before any bonuses or overtime. The journeyman rate can be achieved in six years. That's close to $70K a year TODAY, which is far above average.

So,

1. How long have you worked as a machinist at Boeing?
2. On the six year scale, where are you?
3. What, precisely, is your hourly wage?
4. What, precisely, is the value of benefits you receive?

I've heard a lot of whining about "We can't afford to buy bread!'" So give us the straight scoop. Given that the average income in your area is just over $40K per year, far less than the average machinist makes by any measure, you aren't getting a lot of sympathy.

Zaphod58
reply to post by Sammamishman

 

I would personally love to see them move it and knock the unions down a peg or two.

Yes those big mean Unions who don't want their members to take cuts in wages or benefits. If it wasn't for Unions there would be no middle class in America.

reply to post by schuyler


First off I owe you an apology for my smart *** reply to your last post. I reacted that way because of the terrible coverage the media has been giving this and not because of anything you said.

I make a decent wage and my benefits package is fairly substantial. This is not to say that I do not earn my money. I work hard and I have a skill set that enables me to make decent money. I guess my problem comes from sarcastic criticism that is given by people that do not earn as much. I feel like I need to feel guilty because I sought out a better life for me and my family.

I have had many ten dollar an hour jobs. If it were not for Boeing I would be back there again. The thing is, when I made ten bucks and hour I kept trying, and applied for better jobs, and acquired skills and took classes until I had the skills to make better money. If folks are applying for ten dollar an hour jobs that is what they are going to get!

We just took a substantial blow to our future wages. We did not lock in 100,000 a year by any means, but instead just signed on for only a 4% pay increase in the next 12 years, and you can bet the cost of living is going to go up way more than that 4%. We also signed away our pensions which for a guy like me that works hard just to make ends meet is a big blow as I am not able to save much money for my retirement.

I voted for this contract to keep working for the next 12 years plain and simple. Nobody wanted this contract and the margin that it passed by showed that. We were bullied into signing it by the company threatening to sell our jobs away to other states.

The Anti Boeing rants are getting very old. Not looking for sympathy from you or anyone else, but I should not have to hang my head because I fought for and got a decent job. Nobody should. It is an accomplishment and an honor and the way the media has portrayed us as greedy union workers for not wanting to give concessions when the company has rode on our backs to record breaking profits in the last few years is shameful.