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By Hugh Cameron
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Members of Boeing's biggest union are meeting to authorize a potential strike, putting a potential further strain on the embattled aerospace company's struggling production rates.
One of the union's presidents told Newsweek that the company has so far treated its employees like "like pawns on a chessboard," and hopes that concessions from Boeing will avoid the need for its workers to take industrial action in September.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) represents around 30,000 Boeing employees.
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Its members are convening at the Seattle T-Mobile Park Seattle at noon on Wednesday to authorize action in response to the ongoing contract negotiations with the company.
While Wednesday's procedural vote will not itself determine whether a strike takes place – which will require a 2/3 vote on September 12 - the union said that a "strong signal of membership determination" will help persuade Boeing to "bargain earnestly" with its workers.
As laid out in the IAM constitution, this vote will provide notice to the union's Grand Lodge, so that members can receive strike benefits without delay if industrial action is authorized in September.
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Negotiations between Boeing and the IAM began in March, and are expected to continue until September when the pair's existing 10-year contract expires.
The union's leader's have criticized the company's treatment of its workers over the past several years, and have issued several demands regarding worker pay, job security, and employee benefits.
Among these is the call for a 40 percent pay increase over the next three to four years, and guarantees that any new plane launched within that time will be built by its members in Seattle and the surrounding area.
According to Jon Holden, president of the union's 751 District, the last pay deal between Boeing and its workers was struck in 2008.
Holden said that Boeing had since threatened to move whole airplane programs away from its members' factories unless they agreed to contract extensions, resulting in over a decade of "stagnated wages" for the workers.
The union is also requesting that an IAM official be granted a permanent seat at the Boeing board alongside the company's directors.
Holden told Newsweek that he considers this a reasonable proposal, which will help address the company's shareholder-focused production practices.
"Those on the board of directors are completely out of touch with the reality of the manufacturing system," Holden said. "And they've proven that by focusing only on stock price, only on profit margin, only on returning money to the shareholders."
Holden said that the company had made an effort over the past decade to cut "critical redundancies" in the production system, including additional quality inspections, in an effort to "speed up the rate" at which planes were out the factory doors.
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Regarding the state of the negotiations with Boeing, Holden said that discussions were ongoing, but had so far produced nothing substantial.
"That's not unusual. It takes time. And as pressure builds for an agreement, then we should see movement," he added.
In a statement given to Newsweek, Boeing said: "We're confident we can reach a deal that addresses the needs of our employees while allowing us to compete for new business in a very competitive global market."
When asked what they thought of the union's demands, Boeing said: "We'll keep those conversations at the bargaining table."
Last month, Boeing's CEO Dave Calhoun testified before Congress, where he was questioned by U.S. lawmakers on his company's transparency and safety culture.
During the appearance, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley asked Calhoun whether the union members deserved a raise.
Calhoun responded: "They will definitely get a raise."
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