SEATTLE (AP) - National, state and local political leaders
called for a vote Friday on a proposed contract between Boeing and Puget Sound
machinists, even though local union leaders have already rejected the company's
latest offer in the high-stakes negotiations to keep thousands of jobs in the
state.
The contract would secure work on Boeing's new 777X airplane
at a time when 22 states are competing for those jobs. Gov. Jay Inslee said in
a statement that union membership gives each worker a say in his or her future
and they should have the opportunity to exercise that right.
"That should happen soon, as I have become increasingly
concerned that we are at a perilous point in our effort to bring the 777X to
Washington state," said Inslee, who was endorsed by the local Machinists
union in his campaign for governor last year.
U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen echoed those comments, expressing
concern about the region's aerospace future if no labor agreement is in place
and saying "the time to vote is now." Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson
and Snohomish County Executive John Lovick also urged the Machinists in their
area to hold a vote and also urged them to approve the contract.
Leaders in the International Association of Machinists and
Aerospace Workers publicly differed Friday on whether to bring Boeing's latest
contract offer to a vote, exposing tensions within the union over how to handle
the negotiations.
National union spokesman Frank Larkin said Friday that
officials were exploring the idea of a vote after hundreds of members demanded
an opportunity to have a say on the contract to secure work on the 777X. Larkin
said members have always had the final say and they have every right to vote on
the terms of the offer.
But local union officials said Friday they don't see any
point in bringing it to a vote because it's too similar to a contract the union
rejected a month ago by a 2-to-1 margin.
"So, until Boeing changes its conditions, we don't have
an offer to vote on," District 751 President Tom Wroblewski said in a
statement.
The latest round of contract talks collapsed Thursday after
local Machinists officials said they could not recommend Boeing's latest
proposal to members. Local union spokesman Bryan Corliss said Boeing has
withdrawn the contract offer.
Boeing Co. spokesman Doug Alder said, however, that the
offer was rejected by the union, not withdrawn. He declined further comment
Friday.
Local union officials have seemed to disagree with their
national leaders in recent weeks on how to handle Boeing's offers. That
division was clear last month, when local members voted to reject a contract
negotiated by Machinists leadership.
Boeing made changes this week to its original contract
offer, backing away from a proposal that would slow the rate at which employees
rise up the pay scale and adding an additional $5,000 in bonus pay. The biggest
sticking point appears to be the company's insistence that workers move from a
traditional defined-benefit pension to a defined-contribution savings plan.
The local Machinists said the company's latest proposal was
too high of a price to pay to secure the 777X.
"I think you'll agree these were very minor changes, and
not nearly enough to offset the things Boeing was trying to take away from you,
and for the Machinists who will join us in the future," Wroblewski wrote
in a message to members Friday morning.
Looming over the talks is the prospect that the company could
build the airplane elsewhere. Chicago-based Boeing said it has received
proposals from 22 states eager for the 777X jobs, with some proposing multiple
sites. The company said 54 sites are now being evaluated.
In its own bid to win the 777X jobs, Washington state
recently approved tax breaks for Boeing valued at $9 billion over the coming
years, along with legislation to improve aerospace training programs and the
permitting process.
Boeing began offering the 777X in May, but it's still
finalizing plans for the plane and aiming to deliver the first aircraft by the
end of the decade. Boeing has said it is expected to carry as many as 400
passengers and be more fuel efficient than the current 777.
Boeing received orders for 225 such planes from three airlines
at the Dubai Airshow last month.
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