The Nation : Machinists Union Votes to Strike Boeing

An overwhelming majority of Boeing Co. workers, claiming their work helped make the aerospace giant No. 1 in the industry, rejected the company’s contract as inadequate and voted to strike. Officials for the International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said about 57,000 members in the Seattle area, Wichita, Kan., Portland, Ore., and scattered sites across the country voted by an 85% margin to strike at midnight. The walkout, recommended by union leaders, will be the first strike against Boeing since 1977. The three-year package proposed by Boeing calls for a general wage increase--the first since 1982--of 4% the first year and 3% in the second and third years. Meanwhile, the union said it had agreed to extend its contract with Lockheed Corp. until at least Oct. 22. The pact had been due to expire Oct. 1, a machinists union spokesman said.