WASHINGTON (AP) -- Boeing Co.'s union expects to keep talking with a team of federal mediators until at least Saturday in an attempt to avoid a strike.þþNegotiators for the International Association of Machinists, which represents 25,000 Boeing workers in Washington state, Wichita, Kan., and Portland, Ore., resumed negotiations at 9 a.m. EDT Thursday at the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.þþ``We're going to continue talking and we expect to be here Friday and Saturday,'' said union spokesman Matt Bates.þþThe two sides, however, are not talking to each other. They have been meeting separately with mediators.þþBoeing 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.þþ``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.þþBoeing'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.þþBoeing officials met voluntarily Wednesday with the mediators, but committed only to explaining the contract proposal, not to reopening talks after three months of negotiations.þþThe morning was spent outlining ``our business realities and the realities of our customers and our industry,'' Calhoun said.þþThe 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.þþUnion 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.''þþChicago-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.þþNew 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.þþ
Source: NY Times
