Ah, they say timing is everything, and I guess there's no time better than when your company is on its knees, and a good part of the reason is *checks notes* it's gotten a reputation for shoddy manufacturing practices.

By the way...who does the manufacturing at Boeing - the riveting, attaching panels, running wires, doors - or not - that sort of thing?

Why, I would have thought Boeing workers, but I guess they just don't see it that way, because they have demands.

And they're not coming back until Boeing does something about it.

...Boeing Machinists across the US West Coast stopped work at midnight on Friday. Hundreds of workers occupied picket lines at the Renton factory outside of Seattle that makes Boeing’s top-selling aircraft, the 737 Max.

Despite a contract Boeing touted as its most-generous ever, Machinists voted 94.6% to reject it, with 96% supporting a strike. Boeing’s offer didn’t compensate for 16 years of stagnated wages, higher out-of-pocket health care costs and the relocation of thousands of union jobs, said Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, who added the union would get back to the table “as quickly as we can.”

“This has been a long time coming, our members spoke loud and clear tonight,” Holden said to a packed hall of union members and media. “Clearly there were aspects of this agreement that weren’t good enough.” By the time he’d finished speaking, the chants of “strike, strike” were deafening.

Seems like a shortsighted move to me, but I don't work there, so what do I know?

I mean, HotAir waves two of these at me, and I'm hired for life.

Things must’ve been pretty bad at Boeing for employees to reject this..

You would’ve had me at 25%. pic.twitter.com/R1ArWhxv1Q

— HTown jfp (@jfptalkin) September 13, 2024

The new Boeing president only has a couple of weeks on the thankless job under his belt - a good part of the problem being production delays and manufacturing flaws - and the last thing the company needed was these guys taking a hike.

BREAKING: @Boeing machinists vote to STRIKE, effective immediately. This means 32,000 @IAM751 and W24 members are on the picket lines starting TONIGHT. Vote to strike was 96% for it pic.twitter.com/gBUKmkRYOn

— Ryan Simms (@RyanTVnews) September 13, 2024

In a bit of a twist, union leaders did advise accepting the 25% offer from the company but the workers overwhelmingly rejected it. They're not remotely interested.

But the bottom line, as well as their share of responsibility for the company's problems, have never been a focus for any union when they're on the hunt for a contract. 

...Boeing had said it had offered workers everything it could and needs to plan for the investments needed to replace its best-selling single-aisle models while placating striking workers.

New CEO Kelly Ortberg was brought in just weeks ago to restore faith in the planemaker after a door panel blew off a 737 MAX jet mid-air in January. He proposed a deal including a pay rise of 25% over four years, far lower than the 40% workers had demanded.

A long strike could badly hit Boeing's finances, already groaning due to a $60-billion debt pile. To cover debt maturities, Boeing needs to generate enough cash flow.

Cognizant of the fact that it's an election year, that Boeing union employees had endorsed Joe Biden in 2020, and the need to keep all those votes onboard for November 5, the Biden administration made appropriate mewling noises about working together and "employees getting what they deserve."

...On Friday, crowds of striking workers began to descend on six different entrances at the Boeing facility, horns honking and raised fists out windows in support of the strike. Smiles of appreciation ensued when donuts arrived to keep spirits high.

“I’m willing to strike for two months or even longer. Let’s go as long as it takes to get what we deserve,” said James Mann, a 26-year-old who works in a wings division.

The Biden administration was in touch with both sides. "We encourage them to negotiate in good faith toward an agreement that gives employees the benefits they deserve and makes the company stronger," White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said.

The strike was already putting financial pressure on the company and further threatening possibly catastrophic delays down an already bumpy delivery road. 

...Boeing’s shares fell as much as 4.4% as of 1:41 p.m. in New York on Friday. The stock has declined about 38% this year.

In addition to 737s, the company makes 777 and 767 models at its Everett facility to the north and jet components in hulking plants to its south. A strike risks disrupting production at the factories as well as the wider supplier network, leaving a finely-tuned manufacturing system out of step and creating more so-called traveled work that’s out of sequence and has been at the heart of Boeing’s recent production woes.

...Boeing has been in a financially difficult situation since the Jan. 5 accident exposed deficiencies at its factories and forced the planemaker to reduce production. The company has been bleeding cash as a result, and Moody’s Ratings as well as Fitch Ratings both said on Friday that they might cut their ratings to junk.

The junk bond status threat is a real hit, too.

“Get woke, go broke” strikes again. Literally.

Boeing (Baa3/BBB-) is now on “review for downgrade” to JUNK bond status. pic.twitter.com/fIkBOrewFI

— John LeFevre (@JohnLeFevre) September 13, 2024

There's not a lot of sympathy for Boeing workers in the air right now.

Amen!! There are a lot of people that would GLADLY accept Boeing’s offer. There was a time and place in this country for unions…key word is WAS!!! Now the workers can suffer the consequences of their actions. I hope Boeing reduces or revokes their offer!!

— Jorja Elliott Reyburn (@JorjaRey) September 13, 2024

As for Boeing retracting or reducing the offer, there has to be a company left for them to do so.

It might not take much for this strike to finish it off if union guys stay out for any length of time.

Should it all goes up in smoke, they can pat themselves on the back for both the crappy airplanes they built and for crashing the company.

I'd rather have the job.