Unified and determined, Boeing workers take to the picket line in Washington state

Tens of thousands of unionized Boeing workers showed up to airplane plants Friday not to work, but to call for better pay and benefits. For the first time since 2008, Boeing workers are on strike.

The announcement came loud and clear late Thursday night.

“We strike at midnight,” said Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, the labor union that represents more than 33,000 Boeing workers in Washington and Oregon.

A packed union hall in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood erupted with a deafening chant from members: “Strike! Strike! Strike!”

After casting their ballots all day Thursday, machinists soundly rejected a proposed contract from Boeing with an overwhelming 94.6% of the vote. Holden said 96% of the union agreed to strike, well above the required two-thirds supermajority.

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“We’re just happy that everybody came through and did their part and we got the 96%,” said Tara, a quality inspector who did want to share her last name out of concern of retribution from Boeing. “We're ready. We're ready to go.”

Even before the clock hit midnight, union members were making preparations for a strike.

Outside the union hall, sparks flew as a half dozen people cut and shaped large, metal burn barrels to keep strikers warm on the picket lines during cold nights.

Pallets of bottled water and snacks were dispersed into long vans, ready to be shuttled to the various picketing spots.

Tara said she understands why her colleagues were so energized despite the late hour.

“We lost our pension in 2014 and we shouldn't have,” she said. “The way that it went down was unfair. We didn't want that.”

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By 1 a.m. Friday, workers were stationed outside each entrance to the Boeing plant in Renton. Bundled up to keep warm, they waved signs to the first few cars of the day.

The lunch hour in Renton felt completely different than most workdays. Usually at this time the Renton Landing would be swarmed with the bright yellow vests of Boeing employees grabbing a bite. But on Friday, the sandwich and pizza shops were practically deserted.

All the energy and activity was confined to each gate to the Boeing plant where even more workers showed up with signs. Picketers included wing mechanic Rothany Hin, who waved two protest signs and danced on a corner.

“I'm gonna be named The Dancing Striker by the end of the day,” Hin laughed as passing cars honked their horns.

Hin was there with his wife, Mary. They both said that Boeing isn’t paying him enough or providing good enough benefits like retirement.

He had a message for the company: “You guys need to give us what we want, or we'll be out here all day long for the next month if it takes that long.”

This is the first machinists strike at Boeing since 2008. A tentative deal was reached with union leaders last weekend but members rebuffed that offer.

Holden told reporters Thursday night that the union will start surveying members electronically to see what they want in a new contract. It’s unclear when the union and Boeing will negotiate again.

A Boeing spokesperson said Thursday night that the company is “ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement.”