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Click here to download the September edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper (3.1 mb).

Click here to download the August edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper (2.7 mb).

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IAM District 751Poor management decisions, a failure to hang on to talented workers and the destruction of Boeing's once-successful corporate culture will 'haunt the company for decades,' writer says

Additonal Delays Cripple Boeing’s Strategy and Finances «

airinsight.wordpress.com

The impact of further delays at Boeing on operations, finances, and product update strategies will be significant, as further delays to the 787 and 747-8 programs will result in additional charges, increased operating costs, and likely impact product development strategies and timing for the 737/777...

IAM District 751Tacoma Weekly features two District 751 volunteers!

Tacoma Do-gooders | Tacoma Weekly

tacomaweekly.com

Two Pierce County men have been honored by the White House for their community service efforts as members of the Machinists Union. Rob Curran of Graham and Vennie Murphy of…

Click here to download the July edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper (3.3 mb).

On June 30, the current South Park Bridge closed permanently. This means that getting to the

Seattle Union Hall - especially from the north end will require some additional planning. Please take the time to look at the map and review alternative routes before leaving for the Seattle Union Hall.

From the North: District 751 stewards and members coming south on I-5 won’t be able to use the South Park Bridge to get directly to the Seattle Hall. Instead, continue south on I-5, take exit 158, the S. Boeing Access Road to Tukwila International Blvd, then turn right onto SR99, to the 14th Ave. S. exit. Turn left off the exit, take the next right and Union Hall is on the left.

From the South: For members living in Burien or White Center and working at Boeing Field, the South Park Bridge was an easy way across the Duwamish River. Once it’s closed, they’ll have to drive around to either the First Avenue South Bridge on the north, or head south along State Route 99 until they reach the intersection with Tukwila International Boulevard. From there they can turn north on East Marginal Way.

Click here to download the June edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper (2.9 mb).

COLA Calculation for the Quarter

The COLA calculation generated for June 2010 is zero, which means members at Boeing won’t get cost-of-living increases for the quarter.

Under the contract with Boeing, COLA is calculated based on the national Consumer Price Index, which is generated by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. It tracks the costs for a wide range of consumer prices, including the cost of housing, food, fuel, clothing and health care.

The contract uses the Consumer Price Index for May, June and July 2008 as its baseline, and pays out whenever inflation drives prices higher than they were during those months. For most of the past two years, however, the recession -- and particularly the collapse in the housing market – has pushed prices far below our baseline rate – which has resulted in no COLA increases.

Consumer prices in recent months have gone up, but they’re still not high enough to crack the baseline set in the summer of 2008. It was close last quarter -- the average Consumer Price Index for March, April and May 2010 was a mere 0.44 percent below the baseline – but that still means a zero COLA for District 751 members at Boeing.

Click here for a link to the CPI Excel file to look at the raw numbers for yourself.

Congratulations to the Machinists Union members working at Triumph Composite Systems today for ratifying a new three-year agreement by 81 percent.

Thanks to every member who participated in the process and took the time to vote. Your solidarity and commitment to the process helped Union negotiators deliver an industry-leading contract – one that we can all be proud of.

Legislation in Washington affect our members on and off the job. The Washington State Labor Council has kept track on how your representatives have voted on legislation affecting all workers in our state. Take the time to review your representatives voting record and see first hand who best represents your interests as a worker. To read more click here

Statement from IAM District 751 President Tom Wroblewski in Response to Boeing's Announcement on Interior Parts in South Carolina

May 3, 2010 - Seattle, WA - The Company announced last December that they planned to replicate production of all 787 parts produced here somewhere else, so today’s announcement does little more than confirm the location where this will take place.

But the real question is: Why did Boeing make this announcement today? Was it to draw attention away from a more important issue like the five-week 787 slide that reporters uncovered last week, which Boeing never issued a press release on? Ask Boeing who is responsible for this latest slide? I guarantee it is not our members here in Puget Sound. It is those same suppliers and vendors who have made the plane more than 2 1/2 years late already.

What should be highlighted from today’s announcement is Boeing’s recognition of the superior quality of the products and services provided by our members in the Interiors Responsibility Center (IRC) in Everett. The creativity and ingenuity of our members ensure the Everett IRC remains competitive and continues to add value and quality every day. Read more

April 27, 2010 - Today's announcement doesn't appear to affect our members at all. There's still more than enough work to be done in Everett, completing the work suppliers should have done and repairing incomplete processes.

We'd warned Boeing management that this would happen if they outsourced too much. You can rely on our members to get things right. We just hope Boeing's new partners are up to the task.

We're doing all we can to keep the 787 on time. Our members are very proud to be working on this new airplane, and we are committed to its success.

It doesn’t matter who bids or doesn’t bid, the clear fact is that the Boeing KC-767 tanker built by our District 751 members here in Puget Sound is simply the best option for the U.S. Air Force, the American taxpayer, national security and our nation’s economy.

In contrast, the proposed Airbus tanker is too big and too expensive to operate. The EADS proposal also will lack a crucial component: skilled and experienced American workers like our Machinists Union members, who delivered on the P-8A for the Navy and will deliver again on the tanker.

The only good thing about today’s announcement is that it removes the uncertainty and allows us to move forward. Our men and women in uniform have waited far too long for these tankers; it’s time to put our members to work building them.

Click here to download the April edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper (2.2 mb).

75th Anniversary Celebration: For Kids

Be sure to look in your Aero Mechanic from April through June for exciting details on how children in member families can participate in some exciting contests! Read more..

60-Day Extension Doesn't Change The Facts

Statement from IAM District 751 Tom Wroblewski, in response to the Pentagon’s announcement it’s willing to give EADS a 60-day extension to submit a bid for the U.S. Air Force’s KC-X tanker project: read more...

75th Anniversary T Shirts

Local Lodge 751 was chartered by the America Federation of Labor on Sept. 23, 1935, to represent hourly workers at the Boeing Co. in Seattle

In the 75 years since then, the Union has grown to become one of the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers’ largest districts, representing not only aerospace machinists, but a wide range of truck, bus and auto mechanics, machine operators, boat builders, metal fabricators and government employees, as well as other skilled workers, across Washington state and parts of Oregon and Idaho. Read more...

New Options for Boeing Members with V.I.P.

Machinists Union members working at Boeing received an information packet in March concerning enhancements to their Voluntary Investment Plan (VIP). The packet announced several changes to the VIP. Here are the main information points from the packet: Read more...

Medco Fix for Those Impacted on Traditional Medical Plan at Boeing

Boeing reported earlier this year that some employees on the Traditional Medical Plan were having problems with Medco, the company that administers their prescription drug program. This caused them to only be able to receive a 34 day supply of medication from a retail pharmacy instead of the normal 100 day supply agreed to in our contract. Read more ...

District 751 President Tom Wroblewski's Response to Members on Times Article and Albaugh Comments

Click here to download the February edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper (2.7 mb).

Click here to download the Dec 09/Jan 2010 edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper (3.1 mb).

Click here to download the November 09 edition of the Aero Mechanic newspaper (2.1 mb).

Boeing's announced changes on September 25 to their Learning Together Program (LTP) apply to salaried non-union employees only. There are no changes to the IAM/Boeing Joint Programs Education Assistance Program because we have a Union contract in place.

Washington Climbs Business-Climate Rankings Forbes Now Ranks State No. 2 in Nation

This week brought three new reports that all indicate Washington state is extending its comparative advantage over other states for having low taxes, less regulation, a skilled and productive workforce, and other factors that make it one of the best states in the nation to do business. The new Forbes 2009 business-climate rankings released Wednesday boosted Washington one spot from last year to the 2nd best state in the nation. Our state also jumped three spots to No. 9 for its business-friendly tax policies as judged by the conservative Tax Foundation. And the economic development think tank Cfed, gave Washington an "A" in its assessment of wealth, poverty and family financial security.Looks like the WSLC will have to update its "Outside the Echo Chamber" reports with all the good news. This series of reports examines objective analyses of our state's competitiveness and refutes internal agenda-driven criticism of the state business climate by some business lobbying groups and politicians. Read more.

We believe that Boeing's KC-767 represents a "win-win-win" for American, in that it's the best option for the war fighter, best option for the taxpayer, and the best option for the U.S. economy. We also believe that the new tanker procurement planned outlined by the Air Force today will prove our contention. As the Secretary said in his comments, it's clear that the Air Force is looking for a "mature" and proven airframe: "This is not a Manhattan Project where new inventions are called for."
Boeing recently unveiled a great new website: www.unitedstatestanker.com. At the site you can learn about the need for a new mid-air refueling tanker, read about Boeing's history developing, building and improving tankers since the 1940s, read about Boeing's KC-7A7 tanker specifications and more.We think this approach clearly favors the Boeing bid: Airbus is still trying to invent its first aerial refueling boom, which is a piece of military technology that Boeing pioneered. In addition, Airbus and Northrop Grumman are proposing to invent an entirely new kind of trans-Atlantic manufacturing process for their proposed KC-30 jet, using a brand new joint venture to assemble European jets in an American factory that has not been built, with a workforce that has not been hired, let alone trained. The Boeing alternative - using a proven, experienced workforce in an existing factory, supported by a network of established suppliers - is working for the U.S. Navy with the P-8A Poseidon, and it will work even better for the Air Force with the KC-767.
Read more.

Fundraising Events

COLA Calculation for the Quarter

75th Anniversary Celebration: For Kids

60-Day Extension Doesn't Change The Facts

75th Anniversary T Shirts

New Options for Boeing Members with V.I.P.

Medco Fix for Those Impacted on Traditional Medical Plan at Boeing