Boeing Workers Reject Sellout Deal: A Stand for the Entire Working Class

The rejection of the second sellout contract by Boeing workers by a 65 percent majority is a courageous stand, not just for themselves, but for the entire working class. In voting to reject this deal, Boeing workers have defied a powerful conspiracy between Boeing executives, their Wall Street backers, the Biden-Harris administration, and the leadership of the International Association of Machinists (IAM) bureaucracy. 

This resounding 'No' sends a message: workers have the social right to livable wages, job security, and a pension that guarantees dignity in retirement. Boeing workers are standing up for these rights and, in doing so, they are standing up for all workers.

This strike is now entering its sixth week, and throughout this time, workers have faced immense pressure from Boeing management, the IAM leadership, and the political establishment. Boeing has responded with threats, including its announcement of 17,000 layoffs in retaliation for the strike, aiming to bludgeon workers into submission. The IAM bureaucracy, for its part, has done everything it can to wear workers down, keeping them on starvation-level strike pay and trying twice now to push through sellout deals that meet none of the workers' demands.

But Boeing workers have refused to back down. They are fighting for a 40 percent wage increase to make up for years of stagnation, the restoration of pensions that were stolen from them, and protections against unsafe working conditions that Boeing has repeatedly compromised in the pursuit of profit. They are fighting for more than just their own interests—they are fighting for the basic social rights of the working class as a whole.

This vote is not just a rejection of a bad deal—it is a blow to the entire corporate and political establishment. Boeing is a major defense contractor, and the strike threatens to disrupt its production of military aircraft and weapons systems that the United States relies on for its imperialist wars around the world. This is why the Biden-Harris administration has intervened so aggressively to end the strike, sending Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su to Seattle to broker the sellout deal. The administration, like Boeing, is terrified that this strike could interfere with their war plans in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and beyond.

Boeing workers’ fight is part of a larger war being waged by the corporate and financial elite against workers across the country and around the world. The same ruling class that is imposing austerity and attacking the living standards of workers at Boeing is also preparing for new wars abroad. This is why the White House, corporate America, and the union bureaucracy are all working together to shut down the strike and force through a deal that will ensure the continued flow of profits to Boeing and its shareholders.

The fact that Boeing workers have rejected this deal, despite all the pressure to accept it, is a testament to their determination and their willingness to fight. But this vote is only the beginning. The defeat of the sellout contract must mark the start of a new phase in the strike—one that is controlled by the rank and file and not by the IAM bureaucracy, which has proven time and again that it has no intention of waging a serious fight.

Workers at Boeing must take control of the strike into their own hands. This means forming rank-and-file strike committees, independent of the IAM bureaucracy, to direct the struggle and ensure that the will of the workers is respected. These committees must demand full oversight of contract negotiations, with no more backroom deals between union officials and management. Workers should also demand a tripling of strike pay to $750 a week, paid out immediately from the $300 million in IAM assets, so that they can sustain the struggle for as long as it takes to win.

But most importantly, Boeing workers cannot fight this battle alone. They must reach out to workers at other defense contractors, in the auto industry, in logistics, and in other sectors to build a united struggle against the corporate war on workers. The sellout deals that have been imposed at UPS, the auto plants, and on the railroads show that the ruling class is determined to break the back of the working class. The only way to defeat this attack is through a united movement of workers, across industries and across national borders.

Boeing workers are not just fighting for better wages and conditions—they are fighting for control over society’s wealth. They are fighting against a system that prioritizes profits for a handful of billionaires over the basic needs of millions of working people. At Boeing, as at many other companies, workers are being squeezed to increase productivity, while their wages stagnate and their jobs are constantly threatened. Meanwhile, Boeing executives and shareholders are growing richer by the day, profiting from the exploitation of the workers who create the wealth of society.

Boeing’s announcement of 17,000 layoffs is a declaration of war on its workforce. The company is seeking to replace highly skilled machinists with low-paid, disposable labor, ensuring that its profits continue to grow even as it cuts corners on safety and quality. This reckless pursuit of profit over safety will inevitably lead to more disasters like the fatal crashes of Boeing’s 737 MAX jets, which killed hundreds of people. The same forces driving this corporate greed are also responsible for Boeing’s war profiteering, as it rakes in billions from its contracts with the Pentagon and other military clients.

The Socialist Equality Party and our election campaign stand in full solidarity with Boeing workers. We call on them to reject the IAM’s betrayal and take the leadership of the strike into their own hands. Rank-and-file committees must take control of this fight, demand full oversight of contract negotiations, and mobilize other sections of workers to join their struggle. This is the only way to defeat Boeing’s efforts to break the strike and to stop the company’s war profiteering.

The fight at Boeing is part of the broader struggle against capitalism—a system that offers workers nothing but exploitation, war, and inequality. Workers must unite across national borders, reject the false 'national unity' of imperialist war, and fight for socialism—the reorganization of society based on human need, not private profit. This is the program of the Socialist Equality Party.