Boeing, Machinists recognized for historic contract

The International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers and the Boeing Co. were honored recently for the landmark deal that ensured the 737 MAX will be built in Rento

The International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers and the Boeing Co. were honored recently for the landmark deal that ensured the 737 MAX will be built in Renton.

The Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance presented its Chairman’s Award to the union and Boeing at the organization’s annual conference earlier this month.

The award commends the IAM and the company for “reaching an accelerated and unprecedented management-labor agreement.”

In December, members of Machinists Union District Lodge 751 ratified a four-year contract extension with Boeing that included a commitment to keep final assembly of Boeing’s newest 737 model in Renton.

“This is a very significant event,” said PNAA President Kevin Steck. “It’s fantastic. It means a lot to our area, and the industry in general, and we wanted to recognize it.”

District 751 President Tom Wroblewski accepted the award on behalf of the union, while Boeing’s vice president in charge of marketing, Randy Tinseth, accepted for Boeing.

“We are all proud of what we accomplished in December,” said Wroblewski. He called the contract extension “a turning point for the relationship between Boeing and the Machinists Union.”

But more than that, Wroblewski added, the agreement “shows the need for labor, business, elected officials, education and the chamber of commerce to work together for a common goal of good jobs.”

The union is committed to working cooperatively to grow the aerospace industry in Washington state, he said in a press release, whether that means more jobs at Boeing or at any of the more than 600 suppliers in the state.

“The fact is, the larger we can build the aerospace cluster here, the better for all of us,” Wroblewski said. “Working together, we all win.”

Beverly Holland, a Boeing spokeswoman, said the company is “pleased with this award – it recognizes the hard work and dedication of Boeing and the IAM to reach an early agreement last November. That agreement reflects a new era of working together between the company and its IAM-represented employees.”

This was a milestone agreement, and PNAA’s recognition of this underlines the importance of our collaboration with the union,” said Holland.