Boeing strike emotions flare as security guard flashes gun in picket line altercation

An ongoing strike by 33,000 Boeing machinists took a potentially dangerous turn as a security guard displayed a gun following an altercation with workers walking a picket line on Monday outside the airplane manufacturer’s main hub in Seattle.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to “reports of a disturbance” at a Boeing parts distribution center at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport early Monday morning, a spokesperson for the King County Sheriff’s Office told CBS MoneyWatch, noting reports of protestors blocking access to the property.

A security guard flashed a gun as he was leaving the premises, although there was no indication he pointed it at anyone and he left without further incident, according to the sheriff’s department.

Boeing called the incident “unacceptable” and said that the contract security guard involved would not be returning to the company.

“We respect our employees’ right to picket peacefully and believe everyone should feel safe. We’re cooperating with the King County Sheriff’s Office as they investigate,” the aircraft manufacturer said in a statement. 

The International Association Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, or IAM District 751, and the company that employed the guard, Allied Universal, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tensions between Boeing and the striking assembly workers are running high. The aircraft maker said Monday it was freezing hiring due to the strike launched three days earlier, saying the walkout “jeopardizes” its business.

Workers voted overwhelmingly to reject a proposal that would have increased wages 25% over four years, with the deal falling short of the union’s initial demand for a pay hike of 40% over three years. The union also sought to restore traditional pensions that were axed a decade ago, but settled for increased contributions by Boeing to employees’ 401(k) retirement plans.

The striking workers build the 737 Max, Boeing’s best-selling jetliner, along with the 777 commercial jet and 767 cargo plane at factories in Renton and Everett, Washington. Boeing 787 Dreamliners are built by nonunion workers in South Carolina.

Boeing already faced financial setbacks and a battered reputation before the strike. It has lost more than $25 billion since the beginning of 2019 after a range of manufacturing issues and coming under investigation by federal regulators this year. 

IAM District 751 said in a statement that its negotiating committee would enter mediation with Boeing on Tuesday. The union noted that the mediator would not have authority to compel either side to agree to specific terms, but is instead acting as a neutral party that tries to help the sides find common ground.