Members of District 837 in St. Louis, MO, will vote June 27 on a revised offer from the Boeing Company that includes minor changes to the original offer while retaining language that eliminates defined benefit pension benefits for employees hired after January 2012.
“The Boeing Company’s contract offer that you rejected on June 13 will pit father against son, mother against daughter, and Union brother against Union sister down the road,” said District 837 President and Directing Business Representative Gordon King in a message to members. “It is nothing new for Boeing to use such a tactic. They have a very predictable pattern that has been repeated across the country. They propose takeaways aimed at specific groups and hope the majority will vote to accept them. Then once you accept any reduction, they push to further chip away and erode your benefits.”
The District 837 Bargaining Committee is bringing the modified contract proposals to a vote, while urging members to again reject the company’s offer and reaffirm the strike authorization.
Despite an aggressive campaign by Boeing in favor of ratification, King poses a question for members to consider as the vote approaches: “What will happen to your pension when the next generation of workers outnumbers those who have defined pensions?” asked King. “You can bet Boeing will put forth a proposal asking them to vote out your pension, as they are asking you to do.”
Additional information and results of the ratification vote will be posted at http://iam837.org/
Mon. June 28, 2010
And this is how generations of fighting for retirement with dignity will go down... With a whimper ,it\\\'s sad that the GE Gang in Chicago has purchased your future for some cash now- ya I guess too many people are out of work to turn this \\\"Great Offer\\\" down...Mon. June 28, 2010
This had to be the hardest decision for all 837 members to make. The future, and the present. Boeing won because of the economy, our future lost not only due to the economy but, for a corporations lack of concern for their people. I don\'t believe our pension should have been an issue for Boeing. They just forgot, they got where they are today, because of ALL the hard working employees. Makes you wonder if any of the executives of Boeing would like to give up their pension?Sun. June 27, 2010
Glad to see a vote of YES for a great contract !!!! Too many people are out of work to turn down this many increases.. Great job local 837....