Written by Alison Lambert
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su on Wednesday encouraged Boeing Co. and more than 30,000 workers at the planemaker’s plant to close the gap in negotiations and reach a fair contract as a Sept. 12 vote on a new deal approaches.
Boeing workers in the Seattle area, who produce the company’s best-selling 737 commercial jet, are scheduled to vote next week on their first new contract in 16 years, as the two sides continue to grapple with demands such as job security.
Workers have the right to strike as early as September 13 if they reject the contract and overwhelmingly support a work stoppage.
“We fully support collective bargaining. I would continue to encourage the parties to negotiate as if they had not reached an agreement yet and that a fair contract is a good thing,” Su told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in New York held by the International Association of Machinists and Aircraft Workers, which represents Boeing workers.
“This is a way for everyone to move forward together to accomplish the company’s mission in a way that prioritizes workers,” she added.
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