Boeing, union prepare for long fight, NY Times reports

Boeing and its largest union appear to be preparing for a long fight, even as some striking workers look for temporary jobs and the company risks having its credit rating downgraded even further, Niraj Chokshi of The New York Times reports. Negotiations between the two resumed this week under federal mediation after a long break, but collapsed Tuesday after the company withdrew its latest offer. CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit Stephanie Pope said the union made, “demands far in excess of what can be accepted if we are to remain competitive.” Meanwhile, the union accused the company of being too determined to stick to the offer labor leaders previously rejected for being insufficient to garner support of most of its approximately 33,000 members. In interviews and online forums, many workers said they are prepared to wait for a better deal after growing frustrated by wages that failed to keep up with inflation and concessions made in past contracts.