Thousands at Boeing Pick Up Bonuses as They Return to Jobs

Thousands of Boeing workers returned to the assembly line today after a 48-day strike, picking up a $500 bonus check won in their new contract and relieved to be earning money as the holiday season begins.

“It feels like the first day of school,” said Jerry Clark, a 42-year-old father of two, as he showed up at Boeing’s plant in Renton, where he builds plane models for the world’s No. 1 manufacturer of passenger jets.

“It’s nice to go back. If it were another time of year it would be different,” said Tracy Dorning, an electrical inspector at Renton. “We might have stayed out longer.”

The second-longest strike in Boeing history had practically shut down production. Supervisors and non-striking personnel delivered 24 planes, but many of the aircraft had been virtually completed before the walkout.

Boeing spokesman Jack Gamble said most of today will be spent in meetings to organize the start-up.

Gearing up is “going to be slow,” he said. “It will not happen overnight.”