LOCAL
Safety first? Boeing picks contract fight with its fire fighters
SEATTLE (April 23, 2024) — At a time when The Boeing Co. is facing an international crisis of confidence and calls from governments, airline customers, and the general public to restore its focus on safety, the company has decided to pick a contract fight with the people who keep Boeing itself safe.
The more than 120 fire fighters who protect Boeing employees and facilities in Washington state — members of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local I-66 — are struggling to get a fair contract from the Arlington, Virginia-based company.
Boeing’s “last, best and final offer” to the fire fighters was rejected by more than 80 percent of IAFF I-66 members. The union says the offer failed to address fire fighters’ concerns about short staffing, pay that’s significantly lower than local fire departments, and step increases that take 19 years to reach the top of the pay scale, among other concerns.
With a “cooling off period” between the two parties set to expire May 3, unions representing Boeing employees and nearby fire fighters and EMTs are expressing their support for IAFF I-66 and their demands for a fair contract.
IAFF Local I-66 members have also received letters of support from their peers at IAFF Local 726 representing Pierce County fire fighters, IAFF Local 864 representing Renton fire fighters and IAFF Local I-98 representing Tri-Med Professional EMTs.
“All eyes are on Boeing right now to see if they are serious about changing course after decades of profit-driven cost cutting,” said April Sims, President of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO. “It’s absolutely astounding that Boeing management thinks now is a good time to deny their own fire fighters wages comparable to nearby peers or to sufficiently staff their departments. Washington’s union movement calls on the company to agree to a fair contract with IAFF Local I-66 immediately.”