‘The IAM will never walk away’

Hundreds of Machinists and supporters pack the union’s Seattle hall, vowing to continue to fight for a fair contract

SEATTLE, WA (October 16, 2024) — Streaming through the streets of Seattle’s Southpark neighborhood, hundreds of Machinists and their supporters gathered Tuesday. In a packed hall, walls shaking from the volume of chants, striking Machinists showed their solidarity.

After more than a month on strike, Boeing Machinists gathered to flex their power, share their frustrations at Boeing’s tactics, and reiterate their demands for a fair contract.

Machinists and supporters cheer as IAM 751 President Jon Holden speaks.

Striking machinists and allies were joined by a slate of both labor and elected leaders.

As the rally began, workers packed the main hall, the hallways, and spilled over into the parking lots. Striking hotel workers organized with UNITE HERE local 8 bussed over from their strike lines in SeaTac to show their solidarity.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal speaks with striking UNITE HERE Local 8 hotel workers at the IAM Rally. Photo: The STAND.

Senator Maria Cantwell, who IAM District 751 President Jon Holden introduced as the first elected official to walk a picket line with the IAM, highlighted the skyrocketing cost of living in Washington, and that Boeing’s wages have failed to keep up for more than a decade.

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal lauded the workers for their courage, saying Machinists’ actions are “what it looks like to stand up and demand the respect, wages, pensions you deserve.”

Brandon Bryant, President of IAM District W24 in Oregon, praised the solidarity across state lines. IAM W24 members in Portland work on essential parts for Boeing. Bryant echoed the theme of the rally; “No Boeing without the IAM.”

“No planes — and no parts — without the workers,” said Bryant.

Striking machinists left the rally and headed to the Seattle picket line. Photo: The STAND.

WSLC President April Sims called out Boeing’s claims of limited funds for worker contracts, and the company’s attempts to divide the striking workers.

“$68 billion for executives and shareholders, but they can’t afford to meet your demands for a fair contract? Boeing is running to the press to try to change the narrative. It’s why they try to go around your bargaining team. They’re doing everything they can to break your solidarity with one another,” said Sims.

But the workers in the room aren’t swayed by Boeing’s gambits. As speakers took the podium and as they paused for breath, Machinists’ chants filled the hall, hundreds of voices yelling, “Pension! Pension!”

Sean Bagsby, IBEW Local 46 Business Manager, speaks from the podium. Photo: The STAND.

Sean Bagsby, IBEW Local 46 Business Manager, spoke about his father, who was a more than 25 year member of IAM 751. Bagsby grew up in a home that had the security of a union pension. Many Machinists — who’ve seen how far Boeing is willing to push their workforce — want that security back again. In 1991, Bagsby’s father died on the way home from a shift.

“When you lose something, it’s hard to get it back,” said Bagsby. “But it’s not impossible. The most powerful force on the face of this earth is the workers.”

Jon Holden took the podium to close out the rally. Over a chorus of cheers and chants, he laid out the way forward; at the bargaining table. Machinists love their jobs. They want to negotiate a deal so they can get back to the jobs they care about at the company their labor built; they just aren’t willing to take yet another hit to do so.

The union is ready to come to the table, and stay there until an agreement is made.

“The IAM will never walk away,” said Holden. “We will do what it takes to win.”