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Sides Dig In Despite Boeing Strike Costs

Stoppage in week 4; price tag nears $1.3B for aircraft giant

By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 29, 2008 1:35 PM CDT
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(Newser) – Machinists employed by Boeing have been on strike for more than 3 weeks, with no end in sight; analysts say if the stoppage reaches a month, it could cost the aircraft maker $1.3 billion, the Seattle Times reports. The union sees its position as good, given Boeing’s huge backlog of orders, but a downturn in the airline industry could put workers on shaky ground.

With airlines planning for a winter slowdown, even some whose orders have been delayed by the strike are in no hurry to accept delivery. And the union’s strong front is being met head-on by Boeing, which maintains that outsourcing and lower labor costs enable it to “react nimbly” to a market in flux.

Boeing 787 jets are lined-up nose to tail as they slowly move to the front of the assembly line in Everett, Wash.
Boeing 787 jets are lined-up nose to tail as they slowly move to the front of the assembly line in Everett, Wash.   (AP Photo)
Strikers picket at a gate to Boeing's giant production plant in Everett, Wash. The aircraft assembly workers began their strike against Boeing Sept. 6.
Strikers picket at a gate to Boeing's giant production plant in Everett, Wash. The aircraft assembly workers began their strike against Boeing Sept. 6.   (AP Photo)
A technician pickets outside Boeing's Everett, Wash., airplane assembly facility.
A technician pickets outside Boeing's Everett, Wash., airplane assembly facility.   (AP Photo)
Tim Healy, spokesman for Boeing Labor Relations.
Tim Healy, spokesman for Boeing Labor Relations.   (AP Photo)
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner static test airframe is seen at the Boeing factory in Everett, Wash., Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner static test airframe is seen at the Boeing factory in Everett, Wash., Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008.   (AP Photo)
An American flag and a Boeing Aircraft Corporation flag fly side by side.
An American flag and a Boeing Aircraft Corporation flag fly side by side.   (AP Photo)
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Money • US

 
Boeing • airline industry • strike • labor unions • labor relations • losses • International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers

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