Machinists, Boeing mark time till contract vote

SEATTLE — Boeing Co. and the machinists who assemble its commercial planes marked time through a long holiday weekend before Wednesday's scheduled vote on the company's "best and final" contract offer. Union leaders have called for rejection and a walkout.

Both sides said Monday there have been no new talks and none were scheduled.

Connie Kelliher, spokeswoman for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District Lodge 751, said large contingents of union members planned to march Wednesday morning to union halls in nearby Everett and Renton to vote together.

Results will be announced Wednesday evening. If the contract is rejected, picket lines would go up when the old contract expires, at 12:01 a.m. PDT Thursday.

Boeing Co. spokesman Tim Healy said the company has been available all weekend to answer any union requests for explanations or clarifications. He said the company is focused "on getting a positive outcome in the vote on Wednesday."

The union represents 25,000 Boeing employees in the Seattle area, around 1,500 in Portland, Ore., and 750 in Wichita, Kan.

The proposal, Boeing's third offer, was delivered to the union Thursday. It would increase pay by 11 percent on average over three years, the company said. The offer also included a $2,500 bonus for workers if the agreement was ratified on Wednesday.