Deal Could Yield Years Of Labor Peace For Boeing

By Gene Johnson

SEATTLE (AP) -- Some unionized workers at Boeing say they hope their vote Wednesday on a four-year contract extension augurs a new, peaceful era in their relations with the company.

The Machinists union announced last week that it reached a tentative deal following secret talks initiated by the company. If workers ratify the pact, as expected, the Machinists say they'll drop their National Labor Relations Board complaint over Boeing's decision to open a nonunion plant in South Carolina, and it would guarantee a long stretch of elusive labor peace.