Boeing slashes benefits for 600 nonunion military-support employees

[Newsjock]

Source: Seattle Times

Boeing is slashing the benefits of about 600 nonunion employees who provide support services to the military, claiming the move is needed to compete against other contractors.

In addition, the company said Friday almost 70 Machinists union members working at four Air Force bases are in line for similar cuts, an assertion the union vigorously denied.

Boeing said the benefit cuts affect only a specialized group of employees in its defense division who work at military bases around the U.S. and overseas. Their jobs include training Air Force F-15 and F-16 fighter pilots and providing maintenance and ground support to Navy aircrews.

They will be cut from Boeing's annual incentive-bonus plan, see their medical benefits drastically reduced and their sick leave discontinued. Also, the company will no longer make matching contributions to their 401(k) plan.

Read more: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011453132_boeing27.html

[DebbieCDC]

1. Boeing's been trying to bust the Machinists Union for a long time

That's why they put that second Dreamliner assembly line in South Carolina -- no union.

Fucking bastards.

[LaPera]

2. This is why we need unions - workers sticking together is what's needed to stop corporations

from paying workers the lowest wages and least amount of benefits or no benefits just so the corporations can make even more huge monster profits for multi-million dollar excursive salaries and their million dollar private jets and mansions everywhere on the workers sweat and the workers are the first to get throw out in the street when the incompetent corporations file bankruptcy or ask for our tax dollars to bail their corporations out.

We need strong unions for workers to have a untied voice against the million dollar army of corporate lobbyist and republicans constantly trying to bust and destroy unions for their greedy corporations.

[northofdenali]

3. And the Boeing CEO, CFO and COO

walk around with HUGE flag pins on their lapels.

K&R

[Downwinder]

4. Single payer would have eliminated their argument. n/t

[Robb]

6. So would stronger labor laws.

[IDFbunny]

5. Those cuts will help retain that top executive talent.

[depakid]

7. They'll do anything for that tanker contact

and a Congressman named Dick will sell anyone and everyone out to get it.

Kind of laughable, really- how corrupt the Washington delegation's been.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

8. but with all that in mind, lets hurry up and give them the tanker contract!

post-haste, no time to the waste figure out what it costs, or if it will ever enter service later what is a couple of zeros and a decade between the taxpayer and the greatest company in America?

[tinymontgomery]

9. Yea, I'd like to be trained

Yea, I'd like to be trained to fly a jet fighter by someone who just got their benifits cut. Lots of motivation to do a good job.