Strike, but not delays over at Boeing

EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Production of Boeing aircraft in Everett, Wash., faces more delays in spite of the cessation of a 57-day strike by 27,000 machinists, a union member confirmed.

A company spokesman did not disagree with a machinist's assessment that it would take two weeks for production lines to get underway, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Tuesday.

Many machinists need to be re-certified, as their certification to work on plane parts lapsed during the strike.

The walkout and start up delays could push the first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner back to February or March. Delivery of the planes, already 14 months behind schedule, may not occur until the second quarter of 2010, the newspaper reported.

Boeing is currently negotiating with representatives of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, which represents 21,000 Boeing engineers and technical staff. Their contract expires Dec. 1. The company said it would make a final offer on a new contract Nov. 11, the Post-Intelligencer reported.