Striking Boeing union asks CEO to 'truly engage' after workers' health coverage cut

The Boeing logo is displayed on a screen at the NYSE in New York · Reuters

Updated Tue, October 1, 2024 
By Allison Lampert and David Shepardson

(Reuters) -Boeing's largest union urged new CEO Kelly Ortberg on Tuesday to get more involved in contract negotiations to end a strike by around 33,000 U.S. West Coast workers, after the U.S. planemaker cut off their healthcare benefits.

In August, the former Rockwell Collins boss took over the reins of Boeing, which has been rocked by multiple crises this year, including the strike that has hit production of Boeing's strongest-selling 737 MAX jets.

"It’s time for the new CEO to truly engage at the proposal-based level and to take the reins from his subordinates who are fumbling critical decisions like this one," said Brian Bryant, president of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and Aerospace Workers, which represents the striking workers.

"There is no reason the health benefits question could not have been punted on to allow more time for negotiations at the table," Bryant added in a statement.

The Sept. 30 limit for striking workers to access their Boeing health insurance plans was long known, with the union urging workers on Monday to find alternatives.

Talks between Boeing and the IAM's District 751, which is negotiating the deal, broke off last week and it is not clear when discussions will resume.

"We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our represented employees and negotiating in good faith, and want to reach an agreement as soon as possible," Boeing said in a statement.

Boeing workers in the Seattle area and Portland, Oregon, walked off the job on Sept. 13 in the union's first strike since 2008, halting production of three commercial airplane models and adding financial strain to the planemaker.

The union is seeking a 40% pay rise and the restoration of a defined-benefit pension that was taken away in the contract a decade ago.

Boeing made an improved offer last week to the striking workers that it described as its "best and final", which would give workers a 30% raise over four years and restore a performance bonus, but the union said a survey of its members found that was not enough.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert in Montreal and David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)


How much do dockworkers make? What to know about wages amid ILA port strike

Fernando Cervantes Jr.
Wed, October 2, 2024 

Almost 25,000 dockworkers at various ports along the East and Gulf Coasts are striking to ask for higher pay and protections from having their jobs automated out of existence.

Marking the first such strike in almost 50 years, members of the International Longshoremen’s Association walked off the job on Tuesday. In a social media post, the union's president Harold Daggett said the union was fighting for “the kind of wages we deserve.”


In a statement on Monday, the union blamed the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents docks and ocean carriers, for continuing to block an agreement that would end the strike.

“The Ocean Carriers represented by USMX want to enjoy rich billion-dollar profits that they are making in 2024, while they offer ILA Longshore Workers an unacceptable wage package that we reject," the statement said.

While 14 ports in the East and Gulf Coast are seeing striking workers, West Coast ports have not been affected as a different union represents its workers. Back in 2023, the West Coast union negotiated wage increases for its workers.
What do dockworkers make? What wages are they proposing?

The wages negotiated by the West Coast dockworkers union is one of the reasons for the current strike. ILA workers make significantly less than their counterparts.

The ILA contract that expired on Monday shows that the starting pay for dockworkers was $20 per hour. Pay rises to $24.75 after two years, $31.90 after three and tops out at $39 for workers with at least six years on the job.

Meanwhile, the ILA is demanding a 77% increase over the duration of the contract, with a $5 increase each year of the contract. Workers would make $44 the first year, $49 the second and up to $69 in the final year.


In recent days, the U.S. Maritime Alliance proposed a smaller increase, nearly 50%, which the ILA rejected.

"They might claim a significant increase, but they conveniently omit that many of our members are operating multi-million-dollar container-handling equipment for a mere $20 an hour. In some states, the minimum wage is already $15," the ILA said.
An International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) member holds an American Flag on the picket line on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 as the ILA went on strike at the Georgia Ports Authority in Garden City, Ga.

The current top wage amounts to about $81,000 per year, but according to a Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor report about a third of local longshoremen made $200,000 or more a year.

However, that pay may come with extreme hours. The ILA president, Harold Daggett, told the Associated Press that many of the workers earning high wages work up to 100 hours a week.

“Our members don’t work typical 9-to-5 jobs; they work extraordinary hours, sacrificing time with their families. Our position is firm: we believe in the value our incredible rank-and-file members bring to this industry and to our great nation,” the ILA said in a statement.


The average U.S. salary was about $59,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Port strike: How much do dockworkers make? What to know about wages