Boeing's union says talks with mediators will continue until they're dismissed

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Boeing Co.'s union will keep talking with a team of federal mediators in an attempt to avoid a strike until it ``tells us to go home,'' the union's lead negotiator says.

Thursday, September 5th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Boeing Co.'s union will keep talking with a team of federal mediators in an attempt to avoid a strike until it ``tells us to go home,'' the union's lead negotiator says.

Negotiators for the International Association of Machinists, which represents 25,000 Boeing workers in Washington state, Wichita, Kan., and Portland, Ore., were to resume discussions at 9 a.m. EDT at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

``The machinists union is here to negotiate,'' said Dick Schneider, the union's chief negotiator. ``We're here to represent our members the very best that we can. We're here to improve a substandard offer.''

Boeing officials declared Wednesday, ``We are not looking for a strike.'' Boeing's lead negotiator, Jerry Calhoun, spoke after a 5 1/2-hour session with the mediators.

``We simply want to ensure we're doing the right things to serve our customers better and be well-positioned and competitive when the market returns,'' Calhoun said. Boeing officials returned to Seattle after the meeting.

Boeing's three-year contract with the union expired Monday. A strike date has not been set, though union members had begun voting to authorize one when federal mediators, fearing a walkout would hurt the already sluggish economy, urged both sides to come to Washington. The union members' ballots were sealed.

Boeing officials met voluntarily Wednesday with the mediators, but committed only to explaining the contract proposal, not to reopening talks after three months of negotiations.

The morning was spent outlining ``our business realities and the realities of our customers and our industry,'' Calhoun said.

The company last week presented what it is calling its final offer, which included bonuses and raises. But it also angered the union because it contained rising health care costs and smaller-than-desired pension increases. The company also refused to guarantee jobs or job growth with production boosts.

Union spokesman Matt Bates said he did not know what details were being discussed with mediators, but generally, the talks entail ``moving the pieces around trying to get a sense of what might represent a compromise settlement.''

Chicago-based Boeing has laid off 24,900 of the 30,000 workers it said it would cut after last year's terrorist attacks. The union is contesting outsourcing of work to overseas vendors.

New orders for commercial airliners have dropped this year by about 60 percent from last year, Boeing spokeswoman Amanda Landers said. Aircraft deliveries also are significantly down from last year.