Boeing strikers are facing slimmed-down Christmas

Almost 2 months after walkout, hope and worry clash

LeeAnn Hagood loves Christmas, but she put up a tree reluctantly a few days ago at the urging of her two sons.

Brian and Rita Little's living room in Madison is cozy and warm, brightly decorated in anticipation of Christmas with their three children. It belies their anxiety about the days ahead.

Hagood, a single mom with two sons, and the Littles are machinists on strike from Boeing Co. They are protesting a contract offer they say asks them to pay too much for health care and curbs retirement and related medical benefits for new employees.

Boeing has said the contract provides better pay and benefits and the health care changes reflect the company's desire to reduce their long-term health costs.

It is a strange Christmas for both families: One marked not by cheer of the season, or the bounty a steady paycheck provides, but by gnawing anxiety and the feeling they've been abandoned by a company they loved.

Robert Villanueva, a California-based Boeing spokesman, said the striking workers are valued employees.

"They possess a variety of skills and expertise," he said." Obviously we'd like to see them back to work, to continue the programs they're working on."

Villanueva said Boeing has not changed its "final offer" that machinists rejected in November.

Hagood, who lives in Cullman, works at Boeing's Decatur rocket plant, working on precision molding and rocket insulation. A pre-dawn picture of the Delta IV heavy rocket launch from 2004 has a place of pride in her apartment. She was part of a select launch team, working in Florida for six months preparing for the launch. The glittering picture was taken just before the rocket flew into space.

"A senior manager told me right before we left, 'Don't take it personally, it's just business,' " she said. "But I never imagined Boeing would do us this way. That's what hurts so bad. I worked 80 hours a week for them.

"I'm not asking for the moon, just to be fair, just basic needs."

Different environments

The strike began Nov. 2, and the families thought it would be over before Thanksgiving. Three weeks in, striking workers began receiving a $150 a week strike fund check from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union. There is also a union fund for hardships such as medical bills and other emergencies.

The families hope things can be resolved shortly after the new year. The strike by the machinists union is already nearly twice as long as Boeing's dispute with 18,000 commercial aviation workers, represented by the same union, in Seattle and other locations in September. Those workers rejected the same contract that is still on the table for the machinists and, after a month on strike, won a better deal.

Villanueva said he couldn't comment on why Boeing would compromise with the large group, but not the smaller one. He said the situations involved different work environments.

The current strike includes workers at Boeing's Huntsville and Decatur plants, as well as plants in California and Florida. It affects the jobs of some 300 workers in Decatur, 185 in Huntsville and another 1,000 at other locations. About 130 union members are included in the 185 machinists positions in Huntsville. Boeing and the striking workers have said some machinists have crossed the picket lines, but neither side could provide details.

Love and money

Brian Little has been working at Boeing since 1989; Rita has worked there for 10 years. They work on Redstone Arsenal, where he's a mechanical technician and she is an electrical technician. Rita has built wire harnesses for the International Space Station, and Brian has worked on modules for the space station for the past 10 years.

"I teared up when we sent that last module out," he said. "Even now, I'm sitting here thinking about projects that aren't finished. I love my job, and I want to go back and finish that work. I don't want them to miss a deadline."

Hagood, has a 14-year-old and a 9-year-old. She was already living paycheck to paycheck when the contract offer was rejected.

"I prayed about it and had a peace about my decision," she said. "I felt it was better to sacrifice short-term then do a lifetime sacrifice. We all know once you lose your benefits, you will never get them back.

"I just did not realize how hard it would be to tell my children Christmas will be scarce this year."

Brian started at Boeing when he was 19 and has never worked for another company. Rita worked at smaller companies, doing electronics work, and said she was proud when she was hired by Boeing.

"I know that a lot of people don't understand being on strike. When I saw other people on strike, like at Dunlop, I thought it was crazy," she said. "I know I have a good job, but I worked a long time at other companies to get to this point. If it was about greed, like people think, I wouldn't be missing any paychecks."

The Littles have been forced to use up their savings and have been going without the little things like pizza on Fridays, or an occasional movie. Rita does her Christmas shopping all year long, so many of the presents were already purchased by the time the strike began. Their family will help with the children's presents, and Brian said he'll take nothing for granted this year.

But there are bad days, when Rita is filled with doubts and worries about how they're going to come through and Brian's attitude hardens on staying out as long as necessary.

"I've invested 15 years at Boeing. There were times when I didn't see my children for weeks because I was on travel for the company," Brian said. "Now they want to take things away from us?"

Rita said they agreed to begin paying for insurance to help the company after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But Boeing is doing well financially and still the calls for cuts are continuing.

"You know when they are doing this to you, they are wondering, 'When will they break?' " Little said. "It's hard to think about that."

Who wins?

Hagood, who has worked in the nursing profession, took a significant pay cut when she went to work for Boeing in 2001. She said she made the move because the benefits package - including health insurance, retiree medical coverage and a pension - was amazing. She'd seen her father retire with very little and he had to go back to work, and doesn't want to be a burden on her children when she's older.

The new contract, which calls for either a $3,000 deductible for health care or high premiums, is something she can't afford.

And both families say the idea that they would make a deal that would sell out future workers in order to secure their own benefits is shameful, something they won't do.

But the stand is not easy. There's no way to know if another contract offer will be made, and it's Christmas.

A toy drive held by the United Autoworkers for the machinists and friends and family has helped, but it's not the same for Hagood.

"The biggest thing that hurts is I can't give to my children like I always give," Hagood said. "This is the best time of year and some days I don't want to get out of bed I feel so bad.

"Yes, I could choose to cross, but I would never be able to live with myself, knowing I have let my union brothers and sisters down or to sell out my children."