The union that represents aerospace engineers at Boeing rejected a request from the company to furlough workers in an effort to save money during a strike of 33,000 machinists.
In a statement, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) said its board voted unanimously to turn down voluntary furloughs this week.
“We don’t see any compelling reason to change the provisions of our collective bargaining agreement,” said SPEEA President John Dimas. “We rejected the request. Our contracts, with their legally enforceable prohibitions on furloughs, remain in place.”
RELATED:‘No end in sight’: Striking union says 1st round of mediation with Boeing didn’t get far
Earlier this week, Boeing’s CFO Brian West said the company was ‘last focused’ on conserving cash as management negotiates with the machinists union, IAM District 751.
“In the meantime, it’s our responsibility to ensure continuity as best we can,” West said at a conference this week.
The company is mandating non-union employees take an unpaid week off every month during the strike. A week ago, the IAM District 751 initiated the strike after 96% of members voted to reject the company’s new contract offer.
RELATED:Boeing faces $3.5 billion loss as strike continues, workers demand fair compensation
The strike has brought work at the company’s production facilities in the Pacific Northwest to a standstill. Boeing says CEO Kelly Ortberg is directly involved in the negotiations to end the strike.
“[Ortberg] is personally engaged and focused on restoring our trust with our people and the union, and that’s a priority, resetting that relationship,” West said. “And we want to get back to the table, and we want to reach an agreement that’s good for our people, their families, our community, and our intent is to do just that.”
IAM 751 leadershiptold KOMO News on Thursdaythe first round of mediation wasn’t productive.
“It’s a little chaotic at the beginning of a strike. It takes a little bit to get our feet under us,” said IAM 751 president Jon Holden. “Our members are on the right side of this. They are fighting for reasonable things. With health insurance and our wages, we didn’t feel like it was a fair contract. The numbers showed we were really serious about what we want and what we deserve.”
Aviation industry consultant Scott Hamilton withthe Leeham Companysaid the strike’s impacts on Boeing will be severe.
“The estimates I’ve seen are it’s costing Boeing $100 million a day,” Hamilton said.“In the 2008 strike, it took Boeing two years to recover – the company was in a much stronger position than it is now.”
The strike is amongthe first major tests for Ortberg, who took the reigns earlier this summer as Boeing was trying to fix quality issues exposed by a mid-air incident in Januarywhere a door plug flew off a brand-new 737 Max 9.
“It’s just really disappointing that Ortberg isn’t stepping in and saying ‘We’ve got to get this thing done,'” Hamilton said.
Picketing workers remain outside the company’s facilities in the Pacific Northwest.
“If this goes on for a month, I’m going to be on the picket line fighting for something better,” IAM 751 member Gabby Politsch told KOMO News on Friday. “If it goes on for two months, three months, we’re going to be out here as long as it takes to get a good contract.”
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