Boeing strike: An interview with IAM 751 president Jon Holden

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Boeing and the leadership and 33,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) who are currently on strike are at a stalemate. A third round of mediated talks collapsed on Oct. 8 without producing any agreement, as both sides accused the other of being intractable on a range of issues that appear to be getting more numerous as the stoppage drags on toward its second month.

Late Tuesday, Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope sent an internal memo to the unit’s staff that said, “The union did not seriously consider our proposals. Instead, the union made non-negotiable demands far in excess of what can be accepted if we are to remain competitive as a business. 

“Given that position,” wrote Pope in the message that the company quickly shared with members of the media and later posted on its own website, “further negotiations do not make sense at this point and our offer has been withdrawn.”

Related: Boeing becomes its own ‘burning platform’

Boeing and the union have both claimed to eschew negotiating in the media, though 27 days into the strike, both parties seem to be selectively avoiding and embracing public discussion of their respective positions. What’s clear today is that the rift between Boeing and the leadership of its largest union appears to only be growing.

“Who are they to say what is worthy of negotiation or not right? That is our job…to bargain things that our members tell us are important,” said Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751 in a wide-ranging Wednesday interview with The Air Current that underscored the extreme distance from any resolution. “What we’re proposing is things our members told us were important, things that would raise the standard that our members deserve.”

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