Boeing and labor union resume talks as strike empties Seattle plants
Renton, Washington - Negotiators from Boeing and the machinists labor union representing its workers resumed talks Tuesday after some 33,000 employees went on strike late last week, effectively shutting down two Seattle-area factories.
Talks got underway Tuesday morning, said a person familiar with the matter.
The objective is "to reestablish the relationship" between the union and Boeing, said a second person close to the discussions.
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 have been picketing 24 hours a day following the walkout early Friday morning, shuttering factories in Renton and Everett that assemble the 737 MAX and 777.
"We stand united, stronger than ever, because we fight side by side with an unwavering belief in our cause," the IAM said late Monday on its website.
The IAM, which has touted support from peer unions and political figures, began surveying the members to rank their priorities as the negotiations enter the next phase.
Meanwhile, Boeing announced Monday a hiring freeze and cutbacks in supplier expenditures and cautioned that it was considering staff furloughs.
"Our business is in a difficult period," Chief Financial Officer Brian West said in a memo to staff. "We must take necessary actions to preserve cash and safeguard our shared future."
West told an investor conference Friday that the company was eager to get back to the bargaining table and "hammer out a deal."
The talks, which will be assisted by federal mediators, aim to speed a resolution to Boeing's first strike since 2008 at a time when the aviation giant has been losing money and faces scrutiny from regulators and customers after safety incidents.
Cover photo: Yehyun Kim / AFP