I respect what you have to say, but I don't think you understood.
Nowhere did I say union folks are unskilled or uneducated. I believe exactly the opposite. Union folks have skills, but rather than find another job with those skills when laid off, they sit around and wait for mother Boeing to call them back.
If Boeing feared union folks would get another job when laid off, Boeing would not be as quick to let people go.
You also made my point for me. You have a long career, you are skilled, and you are educated. If you were not in the union already, you would not even consider it to be on the bottom of the todem.
My point is that union folks made the rules, the union voted to relinquish those benefits. It is unfortunate that the younger crowd drove that, but they did. Now you are where you are and will never get those benefits back. Unions want everyone to think like them, when there is deviating and independent thought they complain. Everyone gets a voice, unless we don't like what they say.
Again, your union leadership RECCOMENDED the last contract, and the youngins passed it. Ever wonder what was in it for the union leadership? They are just as corrupt and collude with Boeing management.