Contract negotiations between Boeing and a union representing firefighters at some of the company’s commercial aircraft factories collapsed last week. On Thursday, President Biden called on both sides to return to the negotiating table.
The company laid off about 125 workers represented by a chapter of the International Association of Firefighters union on Saturday after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract, said Casey Yeager, president of the union chapter, I-66. The previous contract expired on March 1, but the firefighters, who work at Boeing plants in the Seattle area, continued to work under its provisions.
The talks, held with the help of a federal mediator, stalled after fire officials rejected what the company had said was its final offer. The two sides met Friday night, minutes before the lockout began, Yeager said.
“When we left our negotiating room the other day, we had a very firm discussion that we were willing to continue negotiating,” he said. “They can call us at any time and we will negotiate, but at this time they have not sent us any information.”
On Thursday, Biden expressed support for firefighters and said he was “concerned” that Boeing had left them out. “Collective bargaining is a right that helps employers and employees,” he said in the benefits they deserve.
Biden is expected to visit the Seattle area on Friday to attend campaign events.
Boeing, which is a major supplier to the military and NASA as well as making planes for airlines, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Biden’s statement or the status of its negotiations with firefighters.
Under the rejected offer, firefighters would have to work 19 years before reaching the company’s top pay scale, up from 14 years under the current contract, Yeager said. Area fire departments offer higher starting salaries and allow firefighters to reach maximum pay in three to five years, he said.
Boeing firefighters respond to accidents and medical emergencies at the company’s Seattle-area factories, where they are expected to prevent the spread of fires and possibly toxic emissions. They also provide support during aircraft refueling and when planes take off and land, Yeager said.
Firefighters have been picketing Boeing facilities this week, along with other firefighters and supporters.
The dispute unfolds as Boeing and its largest union, which represents more than 30,000 employees, engage in contract negotiations. Those negotiations have only just begun, but are expected to accelerate over the summer before the current contract expires in September.
That union, District Lodge 751 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, is seeking a pay increase of more than 40 percent over three years, along with improvements in job security and health and retirement benefits. The union is also seeking a seat on Boeing’s board of directors.