Machinists Stage One-Day Walkout

Members of the International Assn. of Machinists staged a one-day walkout at McDonnell Douglas plants in Torrance, Huntington Beach and Long Beach Monday, protesting company proposals for a new contract.

Union spokesman Mike Smith said about 95% of the 1,760 IAM members at the McDonnell Douglas Astronautics plant in Huntington Beach took part in the protest, while about 85% of the union’s 3,100 workers at the plants in Torrance and Long Beach stayed away.

McDonnell Douglas corporate spokesman David Eastman disputed this, estimating support for the job action at about 75% of IAM members in all three plants.

He said the one-day walkout was part of a continuing work slowdown by members of the IAM and the United Auto Workers at the three plants, where union officials have twice rejected contract offers.

Eastman said union officials were “stalling” to avoid referring the company’s contract proposals to a vote of their members.