Polls close as Boeing Machinists decide whether to continue strike

After more than five weeks on strike, Boeing’s unionized Machinists workforce went to the ballot box Wednesday.

The vote — the first since workers walked out on Sept. 13 — will determine whether 33,000 union members go back to work in Boeing’s factories in Everett, Renton and elsewhere, or remain on the picket line in hopes of securing a deal that meets more of their demands. 

From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, union members cast their ballots to either accept or reject a contract unveiled Saturday. A simple majority of those who voted — 50% plus one — will determine the outcome. 

Workers who spoke to The Seattle Times throughout the day were split. Some yes voters said the latest offer had made “significant improvements” and was enough to bring them back to work. Others said they couldn’t afford to stay on the picket line any longer. 

On the other side, workers who opposed the contract encouraged fellow union members to continue fighting until the company met more of their demands, particularly that the company restore the pension plan. 

As one Machinist walked into the union hall to cast her ballot in Renton she yelled, “Just say no!” Another responded, “Think of the future generations!” In Everett, a group opposed to the latest offer handed out flyers encouraging union members to “vote no, step up to the strike!” One worker held a megaphone that continuously rang out the sound of a siren to “draw attention” to his no vote. 

The atmosphere was more serious on this voting day than the last, when Machinists overwhelmingly voted against the contract offer and authorized a strike that began Sept. 13, said Luis Arteaga, a Boeing sealer and Machinists voting volunteer in Renton.

“This one counts,” he said. “This is real.” 

Arteaga — like several Machinists who spoke to The Seattle Times in Renton on Wednesday — would not say how he planned to vote. 

The latest proposal came after days of mediated negotiations led by acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su. It includes a 35% general wage increase over the span of the four-year contract, an increase from Boeing’s previous offers but still shy of the raise some Machinists would like to see. It also would increase the company’s contribution to a 401(k) retirement plan, guarantee a 4% annual bonus and tack on a one-time $7,000 bonus if ratified. 

The nine polling locations across the Pacific Northwest — stretching from Auburn to Moses Lake to Portland — and California closed at 5 p.m., though those in line could still cast their vote after the deadline. 

The results will be announced Wednesday night at the Machinists headquarters in South Park, just south of Seattle. Union leadership did not make a recommendation for how members should vote but described the offer to members as “worthy of your consideration.” 

The anti-offer, pro-strike leaflet circulating outside the Everett polling location Wednesday told members, “The only thing ‘worthy of your consideration’ is how quickly to throw it in the trash.”

Diana Truong, who has been at Boeing for 25 years, said she’s heard people say how good the proposed contract is — except the pension. She voted to approve the contract but added she understood why others would vote no. She cited economics and the threat of lost jobs as one reason she voted yes.

“Look at the economy,” she said. “It’s really bad right now. You’re lucky you have a job.” 

Still, she said, she expected the union to reject the contract, based on what she’s heard from other Machinists. She’s retiring soon and hasn’t needed to get another job during the strike.

In Everett, where union members voted at the Angels of the Wind Arena, those who supported the contract asked to remain anonymous when speaking to The Seattle Times. 

“I voted to accept it but probably wouldn’t be honest about that with all my co-workers,” said one voter, as he read the “vote no” leaflet he had been handed when he walked toward the Everett arena.

He had been at Boeing for about three years and had just received news of a promotion when he went on strike.

He described himself as “totally stuck in the middle” when it came to deciding how to vote. He supported those who wanted to stay out on strike in hopes of restoring the pension, but with four kids under 4 years old, his financial situation trumped everything else.

Another Everett-based worker who also asked to remain anonymous and voted yes said he approved this contract because it was “significantly better” than the previous two offers.

Both workers said they had concerns about bankrupting the company if the strike lasted too long, leaving them without jobs to come back to.

A third worker who asked to remain anonymous and voted yes said: “It’s not so much that I like the contract. They’re just going to push Boeing out of Washington.”

That worker, 39, was at Boeing when the Machinists union voted to end the pension. He voted against ending the pension and “was ready to fight for it then,” the worker said. “Now it’s gone, they’re not going to get it back. … If they wanted to fight so hard for the pension, they should have done it in 2014.”

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Vicki Mahan, 63, a 17-year Boeing veteran, is one of those people who is continuing to fight for the pension. She was “in tears” and disbelief when she found out the pension had been voted away. 

Now, she knows the fight to win it back is “gonna be a tough one, but if we all work together,” she thinks it could be possible. 

Mahan said she didn’t plan to stay outside the Everett arena Wednesday morning, but after casting her vote she said she decided to spend more time talking with her co-workers, holding a sign that read “No pension, no planes,” because “maybe I could swing it.” 

Kevin Flynn, Thomas Gilbraith and Pat Flint, who all work on the flight line in Everett, stood together holding their picket line signs stamped with black block letters that read “vote no.” 

All three said they believed Boeing could offer a higher wage increase, particularly in the first year of the contract.

“In light of the fact that we didn’t get a whole lot the last 10-plus years … this newer one is just barely going to cover the inflation we’ve experienced,” Flynn said.

“They need to front-load it … to try to bring us back from the past,” Gilbraith said.

He’s feeling the financial strain of remaining on strike for nearly six weeks but is determined to stay put. He helps care for his grandchildren, shuttling them around even when he’s working third shift for Boeing. Now, without a paycheck, he’s had to say no to extras for the grandkids more often than not. “I tightened up a lot,” Gilbraith said.

Flynn had hoped that new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg would have done more to resolve the strike, before it started and now that’s it dragged on for so long.

“I was expecting the new CEO to say, ‘Hey we’re not going to cheap out on these guys,’ ” Flynn said. “In the big picture, we’re not asking for an impossible number.”

In explaining why they voted the way they did, voters on both sides mentioned new employees and concern for the next generation. 

Those who voted to approve the contract said they worried about young hires struggling financially during the strike, while those who voted to reject it said they wanted better conditions for these employees in the contract.

“I hope the kids don’t fall for it again,” said Kelly Day, who was hired in 1996 and assembles planes, referring to past contract votes. 

Day brought up previous Boeing leaders and their earnings, like former CEO Dave Calhoun, who stepped down earlier this year and in 2023 received compensation worth $23.6 million. 

“Where is the justice for us?” she said. 

Both sides of the aisle were adamant that they had support, even if, in the case of the yes voters, one was not as vocal as the other.

Eugenio, an Everett worker who asked to be identified by only his first name, came to the polling location with a megaphone and a sombrero to draw attention to his cause of voting no. 

“I hope we can meet 100% of our demands,” he said. “I am ready to fight — even for a year. I am ready for everything.”

On the other side, the 39-year-old Everett worker who asked to remain anonymous because he voted to approve the contract and end the strike said, “I’m about ready to be a scab.”