1,500 Boeing Machinists On Strike

LOS ANGELES (AP) - About 1,500 Boeing machinists went on strike Wednesday after last-minute talks broke down between their union and the company unit that operates the Delta rocket program.

A federal mediator was unable to broker an agreement on raises, health benefits and retirement plans after meeting with both sides Tuesday, said Gary Quick, the chairman of the union's negotiating committee.

"We're out picketing now" at the company's Huntington Beach plant, he said.

Boeing spokesman Dan Beck said the company's offer would have given workers substantial pay increases and boosted pensions and savings plans.

"Boeing still stands by the fact that we feel we gave a very excellent offer," he said.

The strike could affect satellite launch facilities operated by Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems unit at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and Cape Canaveral in Florida.

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