Talks Between Boeing, Machinists Union Intensify

SEATTLE – Boeing has updated its incentive pay plan as it enters the final stage of negotiations with its Machinists union on a new three-year contract.The incentives would reward workers for improved performance.Boeing says it will present its final offer to the union by Aug. 29. Machinists would vote Sept. 3. If members reject the contract and vote to strike, the walkout would begin Sept. 4.The union says its members said in an online survey they would be willing to strike over pay and retiree medical issues.The union District Lodge 751 represents about 25,000 Boeing employees in the Puget Sound area, around 1,800 in Wichita and 800 in Portland.The average Boeing machinist earns $27 an hour or about $56,000 a year.