SEATTLE — The ongoing Boeing machinists strike has entered its 33rd day. The machinists union held a rally Tuesday afternoon with speeches from United States Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA).
“To see the support that we have from our elected officials is really nice to hear," Daniel Brady, a machinist, said.
The rally was held at the union hall and was packed inside and out by thousands of machinists. At multiple times throughout the rally, the crowd broke out into chants calling for the return of Boeing's pension.
Boeing got rid of the pension 10 years ago.
“The way they lost it was B-S," Joseph Padilla, another machinist said. Jayapal voiced her support for the return of the pension during her speech.
“You are showing what it looks like to stand up and demand the respect, the wages, the benefits, the pension that you deserve," Jayapal told the crowd.
Sen. Cantwell told those in attendance they deserve to make a living wage.
“In the last decade of this contract, the cost of living has gone up 30 percent but your wages only went up 15 percent," Cantwell said. "You are the face of this company, you are the face of the opportunity to grow the middle class in America.”
Boeing told KING 5 in a statement that pensions will not be reactivated.
“There is no scenario where the company reactivates a defined-benefit pension for this or any other population. They’re prohibitively expensive and that’s why virtually all private employers have transitioned away from them to defined-contribution plans," the statements reads.
At this point, Boeing and the union have no plans to return to the bargaining table after talks broke down last week.
In a statement Boeing said, "We remain committed to finding a resolution to end the strike. We will work with the union when they are ready to bargain an agreement that recognizes our employees and preserves our company’s future."