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Small Business Lifestyle

Boeing factory workers go on strike [Video]

Aircraft assembly workers walked off the job early Friday at Boeing factories near Seattle after union members voted overwhelmingly to go on strike and reject a tentative contract that would have increased wages by 25% over four years.The strike started at 12:01 a.m. PDT, less than three hours after the local branch of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers announced 94.6% of voting workers rejected the proposed contract and 96% approved the work stoppage, easily surpassing a two-thirds requirement.The labor action involves 33,000 Boeing machinists, most of them in Washington state, and is expected to shut down production of the companys best-selling airline planes. The strike will not affect commercial flights but represents another setback for the aerospace giant, whose reputation and finances have been battered by manufacturing problems and multiple federal investigations this year.The striking machinists assemble the 737 Max, Boeings best-selling airliner, along with the 777, or triple-seven jet, and the 767 cargo plane at factories in Renton and Everett, Washington. The walkout likely will not stop production of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which are built by nonunion workers in South Carolina.The machinists make $75,608 per year on average, not counting overtime, and that would rise to $106,350 at the end of the four-year contract, according to Boeing.However, the deal fell short of the unions initial demand for pay raises of 40% over three years. The union also wanted to restore traditional pensions that were axed a decade ago but settled for an increase in Boeing contributions to employees 401(k) retirement accounts.Outside the Renton factory, people stood with signs reading, Historic contract my ass and Have you seen the damn housing prices? Car horns honked and a boom box played songs such as Twisted Sisters Were Not Gonna Take It and Taylor Swifts Look What You Made Me Do.Boeing responded to the strike announcement by saying it was ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement.The message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with IAM leadership was not acceptable to the members. We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union, the company said in a statement.Very little has gone right for Boeing this year, from a panel blowing out and leaving a gaping hole in one of its passenger jets in January to NASA leaving two astronauts in space rather than sending them home on a problem-plagued Boeing spacecraft.As long as the strike lasts, it will deprive the company of much-needed cash it gets from delivering new planes to airlines. That will be another challenge for new Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who six weeks ago was given the job of turning around a company that has lost more than $25 billion in the last six years and fallen behind European rival Airbus.Ortberg made a last-ditch effort to salvage a deal that had unanimous backing from the unions negotiators. He told machinists Wednesday that no one wins in a walkout and a strike would put Boeings recovery in jeopardy and raise more doubt about the company in the eyes of its airline customers.For Boeing, it is no secret that our business is in a difficult period, in part due to our own mistakes in the past, he said. Working together, I know that we can get back on track, but a strike would put our shared recovery in jeopardy, further eroding trust with our customers and hurting our ability to determine our future together.The head of the union local, IAM District 751 President Jon Holden, said Ortberg faced a difficult position because machinists were bitter about stagnant wages and concessions they have made since 2008 on pensions and health care to prevent the company from moving jobs elsewhere.This is about respect, this is about the past, and this is about fighting for our future, Holden said in announcing the strike.The vote also was a rebuke to Holden and union negotiators, who recommended workers approve the contract offer. Holden, who had predicted workers would vote to strike, said the union would survey members to decide which issues they want to stress when negotiations resume.

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Small Business Lifestyle

‘Trauma bonded’: Six UW-Madison students escape arson fire [Video]

Madison police say someone set three fires near the UW-Madison campus. One forced six students from their home. “We just all stood there watching everything that we’ve had potentially be burned to the ground. And now we’re just kind of trauma bonded,” Ella Paul said. City officials estimate the fire caused $500,000 in damages. It charred the students’ belongings and destroyed their home just weeks after move-in. “Coming back in the next day, it really brings a lot of emotions back,” Gabby Rivera said.Four of the students are from Franklin and Muskego. Police arrested a man Thursday, and believe he is connected to three fires set between 4 and 5 a.m. Wednesday. Two of the fires were dumpster fires. The third was the home on West Washington. “I remember waking up to pure chaos and looking and just seeing the back of the house engulfed in flames,” Paul said.The ring of the doorbell would be the reason the students made it out of the burning house safely. “We’re all safe. None of us got hurt, but still a lot to process,” Lydia Gerges, Franklin native said. Ring doorbell footage shows a neighbor frantically trying to alert the women to the fire. Then, the six women run outside. “I remember, like, freaking out. Just like, where’s our sixth? Like, where’s Carly?” Gerges said. “I’m a heavy sleeper,” Carly Lehman, also from Franklin, said. The six women moved in about two weeks ago, ready to take on their junior year together. “It was very exciting when we moved in and we kind of took advantage of that, spent every moment together,” Nina Davidovic from Franklin said. Instead of exams, homework and socializing, the six are now worried about replacing everything they owned. “None of it was salvageable,” Paul said. Police made contact with a person of interest on Thursday to speak to him about a dumpster fire near State and Johnson streets. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the house on Washington. Investigators determined the man was connected to another dumpster fire and the house fire and arrested him.”We’re kind of struggling to realize, like, the motive of it,” Lehman said. The Red Cross is assisting the students while they get back on their feet. They tell WISN 12 News reporter Kendall Keys Oliv Madison, an apartment building, offered them discounted housing, and they’re working on moving into the apartment building. Everything that was inside of the home was destroyed from fire, smoke and chemical damages. Paul organized a Gofundme to help with their financial hardship.

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Small Business Lifestyle

Meet 14-year-old Chris awaiting adoption [Video]

HOME, WE MEET 14 YEAR OLD CHRIS, WHO IS AWAITING ADOPTION, AND HE SHARED WITH OUR AUDREY AUDREY BIESK THAT HE HAS A PASSION FOR OLDER CARS, SO THEY HAD A SPECIAL DAY TOGETHER AT THE KERNERSVILLE AUTO MUSEUM. WHERE MEMORIES AND HISTORY COME ALIVE IS THE MOTTO HERE. I LIKE THESE. WHY DO YOU LIKE THIS ONE? LIKE THE OLD CLASSY VIBE TO IT. THIS IS WHAT ALL YOUNG MEN ASPIRED FOR IN 1969, AND WE GOT TO STEP BACK IN TIME AND LEARN ABOUT ALL OF THE VINTAGE CARS FROM FOUNDER JIM TAYLOR, WHO FULFILLED HIS DREAM, OPENING UP THE KERNERSVILLE AUTO MUSEUM. OH YEAH. OH, IT OPENS LIKE THAT. YEAH. EVEN ALLOWING CHRIS TO GET BEHIND THE WHEEL OF A FEW, THE TWO SHARED A MUTUAL RESPECT AND LOVE FOR THESE CLASSICS. YOURE FAMILIAR WITH THE MILGRAM? NO, ITS A BRITISH CAR. ARE YOU READY TO GO CRUISING? YEAH, THATS A REALLY COOL. MINE WAS A TWO DOOR. THIS IS A FOUR DOOR. THIS IS CALLED THE TOWN CAR. WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE TO DO FOR FUN? BUILD STUFF. ELECTRONICS. I LIKE CODING AND STUFF. MAINLY TECH AND MECHANICAL STUFF. YEAH. WHAT IS YOUR DREAM JOB? ONE DAY SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT OR AVIATION? LIKE WORKING ON CARS, PLANES AND OTHER STUFF. I LIKE THESE ENGINES BETTER THAN THE MODERN ONES. OLD CARS LIKE REALLY MY PASSION. THE EACH CAR HAD ITS OWN HISTORY. CHRIS ALSO TOLD ME HE HAS A PROTECTIVE NATURE BECAUSE OF HIS PAST, AND HE LIKES TO LOOK OUT FOR OTHERS. IVE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF TOUGH TIMES, TAUGHT ME TO BE A BETTER PERSON, TO HELP MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE IN CHRISS LIFE AND LEARN ABOUT ADOPTION, PLEASE CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN 336271 7989 TO CONNECT WITH THE CHILDRENS HOME SOCIETY OF NORTH CAROLINA, REPORTING FO