Unionized machinists at Boeing voted Monday to accept a contract offer and end their strike after more than seven weeks, clearing the way for the aerospace giant to resume production of its bestselling airliner and generate much-needed cash, the AP reports. Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers district in Seattle said 59% of members who cast ballots agreed to approve the company's fourth formal offer and the third put to a vote. The deal includes pay raises of 38% over four years, and ratification and productivity bonuses. However, Boeing refused to meet strikers' demand to restore a company pension plan that was frozen nearly a decade ago.
The contract's ratification on the eve of Election Day clears the way for a major US manufacturer and government contractor to restart Pacific Northwest assembly lines that the factory workers' walkout have idled for 53 days. According to the union, the 33,000 workers it represents can return to work as soon as Wednesday or as late as Nov. 12. Boeing's CEO has said it might take "a couple of weeks" to resume production in part because some could need retraining. The average annual pay of Boeing machinists is currently $75,608 and eventually will rise to $119,309 under the new contract, according to the company.
Reactions were mixed even among union members who voted to accept the contract. Although she voted "yes," Seattle-based calibration specialist Eep Bolaño said the outcome is "most certainly not a victory." Bolaño said she and her fellow workers made a wise but infuriating choice to accept the offer. "We were threatened by a company that was crippled, dying, bleeding on the ground, and us as one of the biggest unions in the country couldn't even extract two-thirds of our demands from them. This is humiliating," she said. Others, however, said the vote was a cause for celebration.
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