Boeing Strike Hits Home: How Washington Communities Could Be Affected

33,000 of Boeing union workers went on strike this week. This strike could end up costing Boeing to lose hundreds of millions of dollars per day, but I think this story is bigger than just financial losses for Boeing. The monetary losses could trickle down to our local Washington communities.

BY WAY OF BACKGROUND...

Boeing workers are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union. Having a union job means that workers can ask for better work conditions and better pay and perks.

I wonder if company founder, William E. Boeing is somewhere rolling in his grave! When he built a factory to build airplanes in 1916, this brought an influx of people of all types of backgrounds and ethnicities moving to Washington for work.

The moral of that story is: A booming economy sprang up based around Boeing being based out of Washington State.

A housing boon was thus created, with the need for schools, hospitals, restaurants, merchants, and bigger local government needs.

Fast forward to today, when the Boeing plant builds planes, space systems, and more for companies and governments all over the globe. Boeing is mostly well known for building fleets of 737 Max planes used by commercial airlines and the military.

NASA Held Its first Manned Test Flight of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft at Cape Canaveral in May 2024.

WHY DID THE BOEING WORKERS GO ON STRIKE?

Boeing workers have been protesting what they consider to be a crappy union contract between them, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union, and Boeing.

HERE'S WHAT THE IAM UNION IS OFFERING BOEING FACTORY WORKERS IN SEATTLE:

• $3,000 signing bonus
• Contract to build the next commercial jet plane at the Boeing plant in Seattle

The Boeing workers say this is not enough, not what they have been asking for, plus they want a higher annual bonus plus.

The last time Boeing workers went on strike was about 16 years ago, and the company lost billions in revenue. That's why the impacts of this particular strike could affect the Washington state economy in stressful ways.

This week's Boeing strike has already hit investors in the pockets: the price of Boeing stock has already begun to fall (it was down 20% at the time of this writing).

Production on Boeing planes has come to a screeching halt, which means that orders will be delayed, local restaurants and services will see fewer customers, parts manufacturers will not get the big orders they are used to getting from Boeing, and other local merchants will have slow business days.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE...

While many people in America thumb their nose at unions, I for one am grateful for them.

My affinity for union workers started when I was a teen in the 80s. My mom got offered a job to work in fleet service at American Airlines. Getting that union job meant my mom got higher wages, fierce protection from random company layoffs, premium health insurance coverage options, employee resources, plus our family enjoyed great discounted flight perks. The flight perks were like the whipped cream and cherry on top!

Without those union protections, my mom would have been forced to take a minimum wage job someplace (this was back when the federal minimum wage was barely $4 an hour). My parents would definitely have struggled financially!

Hopefully, the Boeing strike will end quickly, and a greater economic crisis will be averted. The union has stated they are going to continue working on a win-win contract with union leaders. The White House is even urging everyone to make a quick resolution because they can foresee just how prolonging this strike will affect our communities in the end.

Boeing supports many events in Washington, including the Boeing Classic golf tourney in Snoqualmie Ridge.