NEWS GLEAMS | Majority of Boeing Union Members Vote to Strike; State Not Liable in Death of BLM Protester Summer Taylor

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Majority of Boeing Union Members Vote to Strike

Boeing workers of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) voted on Thursday, Sept. 14, to strike at 12:01 a.m. the next morning in response to what they considered an inadequate four-year contract proposal from Boeing. The strike is the first to take place at Boeing in 16 years and will immediately result in a halt of commercial airplane production at Boeing’s facilities.

The striking workers — about 33,000 individuals who are a part of IAM District 751 and IAM District W24 — will be on strike indefinitely, reflecting the 96% of the union that voted to strike and the 94.6% who voted to reject Boeing’s contract. Only two-thirds of union members would have needed to vote affirmatively to strike or reject the contract for it to go into effect.

The agreement, which union members rejected originally, included an immediate wage increase of 11%, followed by a total 25% increase over a four-year period. Employees would also have received increased company 401(k) contributions, and the company would have committed to building its next single-aisle passenger jet in Washington State — if production would have begun within the four years of the contract.

According to Industry Week, “IAM members, however, are demanding a 40% pay increase, a defined-benefit pension, protections against forced overtime, and a guarantee the next plane will be built around Puget Sound regardless of when production starts.”

In a news conference after the strike was called, IAM District 751 President Jon Holden stated, “We’re going to get back to the table as quickly as we can. We’ll certainly engage so that we can try to resolve the issues and address what the members’ needs are.”

“The message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with IAM leadership was not acceptable to the members,” Boeing replied in a statement. “We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union.” 

The strike comes on the heels of many recent struggles faced by Boeing involving its 737 MAX aircrafts. A deadly crash took place in 2018 and another in 2019, and in February 2024, the door plug blew off an Alaska Airlines flight midair, causing rapid decompression of the main cabin. 

After each incident, a number of Boeing airplanes were grounded, and federal entities — such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) — launched investigations into Boeing and found that widespread negligence, lack of records, and undertrained or overworked employees were among the factors to blame for the accidents. Even the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a criminal case to look into Boeing’s actions, and in relation to the 2018 and 2019 crashes, the company has since pled guilty to one charge of conspiracy to defraud the United States.

Since the strike, The Boeing Company announced upcoming significant changes to cut costs. Some of them include temporarily laying off some employees, a hold from purchasing some aircraft parts, and a freeze on all outside consulting, marketing, advertising expenses, and charitable donations.

Strike updates can be found on the websites of IAM District 751 and IAM District W24, which are the two unions striking as a part of IAM, one of North America’s largest industrial trade unions, with about 600,000 active and retired members that span industries such as transportation, defense, health care, and more.

Jury Determines State Was Not Liable in Death of Black Lives Matter Protester Summer Taylor

During a Black Lives Matter protest in July 2020, 24-year-old veterinary assistant Summer Taylor was struck and killed by a vehicle on Interstate 5. She was killed by Dawit Kelete, who drove the wrong way down the freeway, struck and killed Taylor, and seriously injured another protester.

The Taylor family filed a lawsuit three months later against the City of Seattle and the State of Washington, citing wrongful death, personal injuries, and civil rights violations. “Summer Taylor lost their life for Black Lives Matter. We stand here today because that should not have happened and it was the government’s fault. We file this lawsuit on behalf of Summer Taylor,” the family’s lawyer, Karen Koehler of Stritmatter Kessler Koehler Moore (SKKM), stated at the time.

During a King County trial in July 2023, Kelete pled guilty to reckless driving, vehicular manslaughter, and vehicular assault with aggravating substantial injuries. The following September, he was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and ordered to pay $6 million in damages to the Taylor family.

The same King County jury that determined Kelete was guilty decided last Thursday, Sept. 12, that the Washington State Patrol was not responsible for Taylor’s death. The family had cited that the State was negligent due to its lack of patrol cars, lights, or barricades, and that it did not properly close off a freeway exit ramp.

The State, in contrast, believed that Taylor, the other protesters, and Kelete were all at fault because they were on the freeway illegally. “Had either of them chosen to follow the law that the rest of us are bound by, this doesn’t happen — this accident never happens,” said Steve Puz, senior counsel for the Washington Attorney General’s Office, during opening statements.

The jury, however, offered the symbolic verdict that it did not believe Taylor was negligent for participating in a freeway protest. Koehler told KOMO News, “That was a legacy verdict. That was a reminder to everybody who protested that you did so with honor and on the right side of the law, even if it was against how the law normally is.”

Converge Media Signs Distribution Deal With FOX SOUL Streaming Platform

Black-owned Seattle media company and Emerald partner Converge Media has signed a distribution agreement with FOX SOUL, an ad-supported streaming service focused on Black voices and views nationwide. Included within the agreement are several shows produced by Converge Media, and it will also encompass future productions produced in partnership between the two organizations.

“We are thrilled to join forces with FOX SOUL,” Converge Media co-founder Omari Salisbury said via press release. “This partnership will allow us to share our compelling Black joy stories with a wider audience and further our mission of uplifting Black voices and perspectives.”

D’Artagnan Bebel, the senior vice president and general manager for KRIV and KTXH and the general manager and head of programming for FOX SOUL, added, “We look forward to this new partnership with Converge Media, a Black-owned entity whose values and goals closely align with FOX SOUL’s. With the addition of Converge Media’s high-quality programming, FOX SOUL can continue to deliver more of the authentic and compelling content that our audience has come to expect from us.”

Converge Media currently produces a number of shows, including a morning show called The Day with Trae, an analysis of trends in Clap Back Culture, the aptly named Chino y Chicano Podcast, and historical documentation through Throwback Thursday. Converge Media also hosts events, makes films and productions, and runs a studio out of downtown Seattle.

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the editor-in-chief of REDEFINE, a long-time member of the Seattle Arts Commission, and a film educator at the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they previously served as executive director and played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences. After a recent stint as the interim managing editor at South Seattle Emerald, they are moving into production on their feature film, Reckless Spirits, which is a metaphysical, multilingual POC buddy comedy. They have a master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the American Indian Studies Department at the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

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