IAM District 751 and the Boeing Company were recently presented with the Chairman’s Award from the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA) for achieving the landmark deal that ensured the 737 MAX will be built in the Northwest.
“This is a very significant event,” said PNAA President Kevin Steck, who presented the award at the Alliance’s annual conference. “It’s fantastic. It means a lot to our area, and the industry in general, and we wanted to recognize it.”
In addition to securing the 737 Max work, the contract ensures parts fabrication work done in Puget Sound and Portland would remain in place.
District 751 President Tom Wroblewski accepted the award on behalf of the union, while Boeing’s vice president in charge of marketing, Randy Tinseth, accepted for Boeing.
“We are all proud of what we accomplished in December,” said Wroblewski. He called the contract extension “a turning point for the relationship between Boeing and the Machinists Union.”
Originally formed in 1935 to represent hourly workers at Boeing, District 751 of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers now represents more than 31,000 working men and women at 45 employers across Washington, Oregon and California.