RENTON, Wash. — As predicted by analysts and striking Boeing workers, small businesses near the planemaker's Renton facility say they're feeling an economic crunch about a week after Machinists hit the picket lines.
"When they get off work, they come out here," said Yen Vy, whose family owns Burnett's Pub at the corner of Burnett Ave and Houser Way, a little more than a mile from Boeing's plant.
"It's been very slow," she told KING 5. "Right now, there's nothing we can do."
Vy said she supports the union workers, who have frequented the bar and restaurant over the 17 years the family has owned the business.
"We're like a family, so we all support each other, but right now it's very tough. I hope they can get back to work soon," she said.
Last week, aviation analyst Scott Hamilton predicted this would happen.
"The spending money from workers on strike is going to, not dry up, but certainly shrink. That could effect discretionary spending, cutbacks on groceries and that sort of thing," Hamilton said.
Boeing workers agreed.
"We won't be going to the store much, out to eat as much. It's going to impact all the local businesses because we have to save our money to pay our bills and feed our families," a picketing worker told KING 5.
Factory workers in the Pacific Northwest began a strike Friday after rejecting a proposal to raise pay by 25% over four years. They want raises of at least 40%. The furloughs are expected to affect tens of thousands of Boeing employees.