Boeing machinists vote to accept contract

CHICAGO, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Machinists at the Boeing Co. ratified a proposed contract Saturday, ending a strike that has closed down the largest U.S. aircraft maker for two months.

Workers at plants in the Seattle area were expected to be back on the job starting with the third shift Sunday, The Tacoma News-Tribune reported.

Leaders of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers had recommended ratification of the pact, which passed with approval of 74 percent of those voting. But some machinists said that the union had caved in.

"This was all about keeping jobs in the Puget Sound region," said Drew Kemp, a flight-test mechanic. "We were doing it for our kids and your kids. It was not about money."

The contract includes a 15 percent pay increase and a small increase in pensions. Federal mediators were involved in five days of talks that led to the agreement last week.

Boeing is scheduled to begin talks Wednesday with its second-largest union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.