Union leaders promise to place health care costs at the center of next year's contract negotiations if members begin making monthly contributions. The current contract, which covers roughly 44,000 Boeing workers, expires Sept. 1, 2002. Boeing alerted workers of the impending change in a recent edition of the company newsletter, the Boeing News. However, IAM officials still hope to discuss options to avoid the new payments, although they are also preparing for the potential change. The change will only affect the roughly 50 percent of union members who chose the Traditional Medical Plan, a company official said.
Members have four health care options.
Boeing did not disclose the total number of workers affected by the change. The change won't come as a surprise to many union workers. And the increase may not stick.