With negotiations between Boeing and union members not reaching any conclusion, the aircraft manufacturer’s workers across Washington and Oregon continue to strike and have now lost health coverage provided by the company. As things escalate, the union is urging Boeing’s new CEO to ‘truly engage’ with the workers to end the strike. Striking workers lose health benefits More than 30,000 Boeing machinists currently on strike have lost their company-funded health benefits as they continue to strike for a better contract.
September 30th was the last day that Boeing committed to providing health coverage to striking employees. These benefits cover the employees as well as their family members and will be reinstated once the strike ends or when the striking workers return to work. That process, however, could take up to 10 business days.
Given the current situation, the union representing the striking workers has now urged Boeing’s new CEO, Kelly Ortberg, to engage meaningfully with the workers. Reuters quotes Brian Bryant, president of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) and Aerospace Workers, as saying, “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. There is no reason the health benefits question could not have been punted on to allow more time for negotiations at the table.
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