Boeing and Pentagon attack both Palestinians and striking union members – Workers World

Seattle, October 13th

After a month of picketing, 33,000 members of the International Association of Machinists District Lodge 751 remain strong. They are striking against arms and aircraft giant Boeing and resisting two decades of anti-worker attacks on workers and their living standards. District Lodge 751 represents machinists in Seattle; Portland, Oregon and some smaller towns.

Boeing is up to its neck in problems and faces three things: a massive strike, a growing slew of production and financial problems, and anger over Boeing’s role as a manufacturer of weapons used against Palestine and the Arab world. There is a growing outcry against the company over its anti-worker attacks and its genocidal role in the war against the Palestinian people. People all over the world are protesting against Boeing.

Bruce McFarland, president of District 751 Local I, said, “What do the Boeing machinists want?” It’s simple. We want what was taken from us 10 years ago when we were pressured into a contract that took away our pension and forced us into a contract

stagnant pay package and increased our medical bills.” (Seattle Times, Oct. 11)

The previous contract, in which the union made concessions, resulted in entry-level workers earning just $21 an hour. McFarland described an avalanche of maneuvers and threats from Boeing and the state government that essentially imposed a regressive tariff on workers. This included the wholesale relocation of much of Boeing’s aircraft production from Seattle to a non-union plant in South Carolina.

That was a bitter defeat for the machinists, but now they are back on their feet to fight again – like so many other workers.

With negotiations at an impasse, Boeing has announced job cuts affecting 10% of its workforce. These reductions apply company-wide and affect both supervisors and hourly employees.

Boeing supplies the genocidal Zionist state

While the war against the Boeing machinists continues, a much larger war against the workers and the entire people of Palestine has been raging for a year in this latest phase. Israel is led by the US and the Pentagon in its effort to hold on to the global empire of imperialism. One of the largest Pentagon contractors is Boeing.

Boeing is the main supplier of billions of dollars worth of military aid sent to Israel last year and makes the F-15 fighter jet, one of the Zionist state’s main bomber aircraft. The Pentagon also supplies Israel with thousands of Boeing-made “smart” bombs, Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, Chinook helicopters, Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft and more. Boeing just moved its headquarters from Chicago to Arlington, Virginia, to be closer to the Pentagon.

It is clear that Boeing and the Pentagon are waging a war on two fronts – against the machinists union in Seattle and Portland and a catastrophic war of genocide against Arab nations.

The Palestinian struggle is supported by the oppressed working class around the world. Now, as 33,000 Pentagon-backed Boeing workers are engaged in a major strike and Palestinians are testing their mettle against the American-Israeli war machine, this could be a time to show that there are common interests among the workers of an oppressed world Nation there, Palestine and striking workers in the imperialist USA

IAM members are aware that while they primarily build civilian aircraft, about a quarter of Boeing’s production is military aircraft. But Boeing workers were no more demanding the production of weapons of mass destruction or giving up their own pensions.

Striking machinists could demand that, instead of building weapons, Boeing’s advanced technology be used to build mass transit vehicles and other peaceful production. This would show that they are in favor of the constructive use of technological production for the further development of humanity – and not for destruction and genocide.

Solidarity with Palestine against the Pentagon and Boeing could take many forms and would create immense unity in the class struggle against the US-backed war.