Striking Boeing Workers Boo After Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell Criticizes Trump
Striking Boeing workers in Seattle booed Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell on Tuesday after she criticized former President Trump and blamed him for housing shortages. Sen. Cantwell, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, told the striking members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 751 that housing everywhere in the United States is expensive because not enough supply has been built. She mentioned a bipartisan bill from five years ago that would have built millions of housing units, but Donald Trump allegedly squashed the deal.
The senator’s comments were met with boos and inaudible remarks from the crowd. IAM 751 union member Dan Zahlman stated that Sen. Cantwell was trying to interject left-wing politics into a labor opportunity focused on retirement benefits, which was not what the union members were there for. He added that there is significant support for Donald Trump among union membership, evident by the presence of Trump stickers in union parking lots at Boeing plants.
Sen. Cantwell is up for re-election in blue Washington next month, where Democrats are heavily favored to hold onto the seat. The IAM 751 union has about 33,000 members and voted to begin striking last month, rejecting a contract that would have raised pay for members by 25% over four years. Boeing has indicated it will use a stock and debt offering to raise about $25 billion and begin a $10 billion credit agreement to offset losses from the strike.
