Boeing workers having trouble making ends meet amid strike

Unionized Boeing employees say they’re facing serious economic hardship as they wait on a new contract with the aerospace giant.

Tuesday marked the third workday that 33,000 workers didn’t show up to any of Boeing’s plants.

Dozens of striking workers stand outside the Renton factory around the clock, feeding off the blaring horns of passing cars and trucks showing their support. The honking seems to never end on Logan Avenue.

Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, the union that represents the workers, said at the beginning of the strike that things would be “a little bit chaotic at first, but we'll get our feet under us as we picket the sites.”

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And the picket lines certainly did get organized.

Most spots now feature amenities for strikers, like snacks, bottled water, some sort of covered canopy, a porta-potty, loud music, and a burn barrel, of course, to keep warm.

But despite the music and cheers, workers say this strike is not a celebration.

“It sucks and hurts for everybody to think that we're worth so little,” said Jake Meyer, a mechanic who’s been at Boeing for two years. “We're supposed to be the top aerospace mechanics in the world, and we're getting paid $4 more than McDonald's down the street. Doesn't make any sense.”

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He was picketing in Renton on Tuesday with his wife, Juniper, and their two young kids, ages 5 and 1. Meyer said he took the job at Boeing thinking it would come with a stable paycheck and good benefits to take care of his children.

But the job — and pay — have been too frustrating, he said.

Last Thursday, the union voted almost unanimously to reject a proposed contract from Boeing.

Pay increases are insufficient, members say, and they want to see their pension plans back in place.

Meyer described working at Boeing as a “struggle, living paycheck to paycheck. So now, I'm gonna have to be pulling other jobs, two to three just try to keep up."

If the strike stretches into a third week, Meyers and others could be paid about $250 a week by the union. On the 15th, IAM gave debit cards to many members. A union spokesperson said more cards will be given out at a future date.

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Negotiators from Boeing and IAM were back in Seattle this week to resume talks.

The Meyers said for now, they’re watching their spending as they hope for a fair contract from the company.

“We rarely have enough to even eat out as it is,” Meyer said. “We’ll budget the best we can with our grocery money and everything else, hoping that we can skate by on this next check and, hopefully, get back to work.”