Boeing has made an announcement that is sure to upset local workers. It concerns its contract talks with the Machinists Union. The last time Boeing made an announcement like this, local workers went on strike.

Boeing wants to separate the contract of Wichita machinists from those in the Seattle and Portland areas. The last time this idea was tossed around, the machinists went on strike.

"We would like to discuss with the I.A.M. leadership the idea of separating the contract for the employees in Wichita from the contract that covers all employees in Puget Sound and Portland today," says Scott Strode, who is the Vice President and General Manager of Boeing's Wichita facility.

He says separate contracts are necessary because the work in Wichita is different than what is done in Washington State. Wichita is a military modification center. Seattle builds the commercial airplanes.

It has been Boeing's contention that their Wichita wages are not in line with machinists wages at the other plants.

"When we look at the market being Wichita, we certainly see that our wages that are enjoyed by employees are high for the Wichita market place," Strode says.

Besides the wage issue, Boeing would like to establish a new retirement program for new employees. KAKE News attempted to contact local machinist union officials, but they did not immediately return our calls.