Strike by Boeing workers shows no signs of ending after its 1st week

A labour strike at Boeing showed no signs of ending on Friday, as the walkout by 33,000 union machinists entered its eighth day and the company started rolling furloughs of nonunion employees to conserve cash.

Federal mediators joined talks between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers this week, but union officials reported that little progress was made during the first two sessions.

The union said no further talks were scheduled.

A Boeing spokesperson said on Friday that the company's goal is to reach an agreement with the union as quickly as possible. She declined to comment further.

The walkout started September 13, when members of a regional district of the IAM union voted 96 per cent in favour of a strike after they rejected a proposed contract that would have raised their pay by 25 per cent over four years. Workers say they want raises of 40 per cent and a restoration of traditional pension benefits that were eliminated about a decade .