Machinists at Boeing vote on new contract

[struggle4progress]

SEATTLE - Thousands of workers who assemble Boeing Co.'s commercial airplanes voted Thursday on whether to approve a new labor contract and return to work after a 4-week-old strike.

Machinists union leaders have recommended that union members accept the revised offer, which improves pension payouts and doesn't increase health care premiums. The Chicago-based company says the total cost of the new offer is similar to the proposal voted down by Machinists on Sept. 2, beginning the strike.

Machinists in the Puget Sound area, Gresham, Ore., and Wichita, Kan., could vote until 6 p.m. local time. If a majority approves the three-year offer, workers could start back to work as early as Thursday night but won't be required to return to work until Oct. 12. <snip>

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/12768355.htm