It seems that every time a union suffers a defeat, some observers become all abuzz with shock at the outcome.
Now that members of the Machinists union in Puget Sound voted to accept Boeing’s contract offer to work on the 777X in exchange for certain concessions is being met with the typical hand wringing.
“The very fact that Boeing was making these demands in the first place just has to be seen as discouraging for average workers,” said Jake Rosenfeld, a sociology professor at the University of Washington who has a forthcoming book “What Unions No Longer Do.”
“This is a very strong union, and if you have a strong union, being forced into givebacks of this sort … then you can just imagine how little leverage other workers have when negotiating,” he added.
The problem with this type of hand wringing is that this is not the first time the Machinists have been forced into givebacks.
In 2012, following a long strike against heavy-equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, the Machinists agreed to a contract that also contained givebacks.
Back then, there was similar hand wringing:
Workers also agreed to Caterpillar’s demand that they pay more for their health insurance and switch from a defined benefit pension plant to 401(k)s. Each worker will receive a $3,100 bonus for ratifying a new contract.
The machinists’ defeat suggests that “wages in manufacturing will be flat in the foreseeable future,” says Michael LeRoy, a professor of labor relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The fact is, negotiations is a give and take exchange. Sometimes there is agrrement, sometimes, there isn’t.
In Puget Sound, in exchange for getting new work from Boeing (the 777X), the Machinist agreed to accept concessions.
