Seattle, WA
Boeing faces potential strike as Seattle workers vote
Boeing faces a potentially crippling strike in the Seattle region, depending on how 33,000 workers vote Thursday on a new contract that has angered many employees despite solid wage gains.
Led by new CEO Kelly Ortberg, the embattled aviation giant had hoped a 25 percent wage hike over four years and a commitment to invest in the Puget Sound region would avert a strike at a time when Boeing remains financially weak after myriad crises.
But while the preliminary contract won an endorsement from leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751, the response from much of the rank-and-file has been harsh.
Broadcast reports in the Seattle region have featured footage of line workers who hold daily rallies on the factory floor and call the wage hikes inadequate in light of inflation.
A Sunday posting on the IAM’s Facebook page announcing the deal was removed after drawing hundreds of comments, with many condemning the deal or calling for a strike.
A strike would shutter Boeing production assembly plants for the 737 MAX and 777, further delaying the company’s turnaround efforts.
Among the major points of contention, the wage hike falls short of the 40 percent IAM had sought, and the new deal fails to reinstate pensions.
IAM President Jon Holden told members what happens next is up to union members.
“We have achieved everything we could in bargaining, short of a strike,” Holden said in a message to workers.
“We recommended acceptance because we can’t guarantee we can achieve more in a strike,” Holden said. “But that is your decision to make and is a decision that we will protect and support, no matter what.”
Stephanie Pope, president of Boeing’s commercial plane division, said the contract delivers the largest-ever wage hike despite the company’s $60 billion in debt. The pledge to the Puget Sound region is an “unprecedented commitment” to the area.
In a statement Wednesday evening Ortberg warned against a strike, saying it would “put our shared recovery in jeopardy, further eroding trust with our customers and hurting our ability to determine our future together.”
The new contract is a “hard sell,” said aviation website Leeham News. “The deal makes progress in the areas IAM members identified as priorities, but falls short of the union’s stated goals in most of them.”
Leeham predicted the contract would fail to win a majority vote, but said it was unclear whether critics of the deal would win a two-thirds majority on a second question of whether to strike.
If the contract fails to win a majority but a strike vote also falls short, the contract offer is accepted by default, according to IAM rules.
In an interview with the Seattle Times published Monday, Holden said, “Right now, I think it will be voted down, and our members will vote to strike.”
Advantage: labor?
Boeing has been under renewed scrutiny since a January incident in which a fuselage panel blew out of an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX plane mid-flight, necessitating an emergency landing.
That revived questions about safety and quality control after the company had seemingly made progress following deadly MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019.
The aerospace giant in March announced a management shakeup that included the exit of Dave Calhoun as CEO. It has also slowed production on the MAX as it beefs up quality control.
Ortberg, who took the helm on August 8, has pledged a “reset” on labor relations as part of a turnaround.
The IAM talks come on the heels of a more assertive labor movement as embodied by strikes at Detroit’s “Big Three” and John Deere, and a near-strike at UPS that was resolved with a last-minute deal with the Teamsters.
“The power balance has shifted in favor of workers,” said Cornell University labor relations expert Harry Katz, who noted that Boeing’s position has been weakened by “turmoil and management problems.”
Andrew Hedden, associate director of the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies at the University of Washington, said strikes have become common at Boeing since 1970s.
Hedden said the company’s pledge for new investment, while encouraging, did not completely settle concerns about Boeing’s long-term footprint in Seattle because the contract is only four years long.
“There’s still work to do for the union and for the people in Washington state to make sure the company holds to that,” Hedden said.
© 2024 AFP
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The Seattle Seahawks have been among the most active teams throughout the 2025 NFL offseason, but there’s no guarantee that any of their moves will pan out. If anything, those around the league aren’t sure what to make of the new-look Seahawks.
While the defense should be better this season, their offense is a total mystery due to the many new faces. The team added three new quarterbacks, totally revamped its wide receiver room and selected an offensive lineman in the first round of the draft.
Is quarterback Sam Darnold an upgrade over Geno Smith? Will Cooper Kupp make up for the loss of DK Metcalf at wide receiver? Did Seattle do enough to fix its offensive line?
Obviously, no one can answer these questions until the season kicks off, but Pro Football Focus handed out offseason grades to all 32 teams. The Seahawks earned a “B” grade for their 2025 offseason haul.
“Hiring Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator was a good move, as his work in New Orleans under unideal circumstances was encouraging,” wrote PFF’s Trevor Sikkema. “He fits right into a lot of the strengths of Seattle’s roster, especially with deploying a zone rushing attack.
PFF considered the switch from Smith to Darnold, another former NFL journeyman, to be a “net negative,” but praised the team’s changes at wide receiver.
“The Seahawks subbed in Sam Darnold for Geno Smith, which appears to be a net negative,” Sikkema continued. “They did well to swap their offensive weapons, switching D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. I also like their defensive additions of DeMarcus Lawrence and Nick Emmanwori.”
The quarterback decision will ultimately determine whether the offseason was a success for Seattle. The Seahawks will have to prove that giving up Smith for a late-Day 2 pick and replacing him with Darnold following one productive season in Minnesota was the right move.
In a way, the team hedged its bet on Darnold by drafting Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe in the third round. If Darnold starts seeing ghosts in the pocket, Milroe gives Seattle a more mobile option for this season and beyond.
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The Seattle Seahawks have received widespread praise for their 2025 draft class.
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With their first-round pick, they addressed their most glaring need by drafting offensive lineman Grey Zabel. Over the next two rounds, they added a trio of intriguing players with rare athletic traits: versatile safety Nick Emmanwori, field-stretching tight end Elijah Arroyo and dual-threat quarterback Jalen Milroe.
And in the later rounds, they grabbed several potential value picks in defensive lineman Rylie Mills, wide receiver Tory Horton, running back Damien Martinez and wideout Ricky White III.
The high marks for Seattle’s draft class were further reflected in a recent article by The Athletic’s Mike Sando, who spoke to NFL team executives to gain their perspectives on opposing teams’ drafts.
“The top of the draft was really good for them,” one executive said, according to Sando. “They got three of the better players in the whole draft.”
But despite that, there was one criticism.
“The catch: Seattle targeted non-premium positions with its first three picks,” Sando wrote.
As Sando mentioned, the Seahawks’ first three picks were a guard, a safety and a tight end. And in terms of salaries, those three positions are typically on the lower half of the spectrum in terms of salaries.
That prompted Seattle Sports’ Mike Salk to ask NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah whether he thinks it’s an issue that the Seahawks spent their first three picks on non-premium positions.
“I don’t think so, because I don’t think they forced it,” said Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, to Brock and Salk. “… You can go in there with a plan in place (to) address the premium positions. But if it falls a certain way, you get in trouble when you’re trying to just force it and jam it in there.
“At the end of the day, the goal is to have blue (chip) players. You want to have elite players scattered across your roster. And depending on who you talk to, they’ll tell you, we need to have eight to 12 blue-caliber players – guys that could be considered in the top 10 of their position in the NFL.
“So if you can get one of those elite players at one of those non-premium positions – (especially) in a draft like the one we just had (with limited blue-chip prospects) – that’s just doing it smart, in my opinion.”
Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
Seattle Seahawks news and analysis
• Huard: Encouraging sign for Seattle Seahawks in ’25? Their ’26 free agents
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• Is Seattle Seahawks’ next franchise QB currently on roster? Jeremiah weighs in
• Bump: How Seattle Seahawks’ rookie safety will be a benefit to Witherspoon
• Cowherd: Seattle Seahawks QB Milroe could be dangerous red-zone weapon
Guard Serena Sundell, the younger sister of the Seahawks offensive lineman Jalen Sundell, was among a trio of players waived by the Seattle Storm on Monday.
Seattle Storm lose another player for season to ACL injury
The Storm also cut 2024 third-rounder Mackenzie Holmes and Brianna Fraser as they appear to have set their roster for the start 2025 season, which begins with a road matchup Saturday against the Phoenix Mercury.
Serena Sundell, a 2025 third-round pick out of Kansas State University, led the nation with 7.3 assists per game and set Kansas State’s program record with 262 assists last season. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 14.1 points and 4.4 rebounds. She was a two-time All-Big 12 selection and named as an AP All-American honorable mention this past season.
With Sundell being waived, none of the Storm’s three third-round picks from the 2025 draft made the roster. The team waived guards Jordan Hobbs and Madison Conner last week.
Holmes, a 6-foot-3 forward, missed all of last season while recovering from surgery on her left knee. The former Indiana University standout was a two-time All-American with the Hoosiers. She averaged 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks during a decorated five-year career at Indiana.
Fraser, a 6-foot-3 forward, was a McDonald’s High School All-American in 2015 before playing four seasons at Maryland. She’s played for multiple professional teams overseas and participated in training camps for the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun but hasn’t appeared in a WNBA regular season game.
The Storm’s roster is now down to a league-minimum 11 players. That includes forward Katie Lou Samuelson, who is out for the season with a torn ACL. General manager Talisa Rhea told reporters last month she expects the team to start the season with 11 players.
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• 2025 WNBA Draft: See all the Seattle Storm and local picks
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