Category: US

Boeing’s 33,000 unionized machinists on Wednesday voted to approve the plane manufacturer’s latest contract offer, ending a seven-week strike that had halted production of most of the company’s passenger planes.

The union said 59% voted to accept the contract. Members have the option of returning to work as soon as Wednesday, but must be back at work by Tuesday, November 12, the union said in a statement.

Union leaders had strongly urged members to ratify the latest proposal, which would boost wages by 38% over the four-year life of the contract, up from a proposed increase of 35% that members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) had rejected last month.

The revised deal also provides a $12,000 cash bonus to hourly workers and increased contributions to retirement savings plans. The enhanced offer doesn’t address a key sticking point in the contentious talks — restoration of pensions — but Boeing would raise its contributions to employee 401K plans.

Average annual pay for machinists, now $75,608, would climb to $119,309 in four years under the current offer, Boeing said. 

The vote came after IAM members in September and October rejected lesser offers by the Seattle-based aerospace giant.

“In every negotiation and strike, there is a point where we have extracted everything we can in bargaining and by withholding our labor,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers stated last week in backing Boeing’s revised offer. “We are at that point now and risk a regressive or lesser offer in the future.” 

Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su has played an active role in the negotiations, after recently helping to end a days-long walkout that briefly closed East and Gulf Coast ports. 

The Boeing strike that began on Sept. 13 marked the latest setback for the manufacturing giant, which has been the focus of multiple federal probes after a door plug blew off a 737 Max plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The incident revived concerns about the safety of the aircraft after two crashed within five months in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people. 

Boeing in July agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud for deceiving regulators who approved the 737 Max. 

During the strike, Boeing was unable to produce any new 737 aircraft, which are made at the company’s assembly plants in the Seattle area. One major Boeing jet, the 787 Dreamliner, is manufactured at a nonunion factory in South Carolina. 

The company last month reported a third-quarter loss of $6.1 billion.  

The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

We leave you this Sunday Morning in the company of donkeys, and elephants. Videographers: Carl Mrozek and Cate Poole.

NYC Marathon runner competing with a purpose

New York City marathon winners in the men’s and women’s divisions will each earn six figures for outpacing their competitors in the 26.2-mile race on Sunday. 

First-place male and female runners in the “Open Division,” which comprises professional and invited athletes only, will take home $100,000 in prize money, according to New York Road Runners, the nonprofit that organizes the annual marathon.

Second-place athletes in each division will earn $60,000. There are also payouts for men and women who finish in the top 10 of their respective categories, based on the order in which they cross the finish line. The prize money for top finishers:

• 3rd place: $40,000
• 4th place: $25,000
• 5th place: $15,000
• 6th place: $10,000
• 7th place: $7,500
• 8th place: $5,000
• 9th place: $2,500
• 10th place: $2,000

Additional rewards of $50,000 are paid out to runners who break existing course records. 

Separately, the top American racers in both the men’s and women’s divisions will also receive cash awards in the following amounts:

• 1st place: $25,000
• 2nd place: $15,000
• 3rd place: $10,000
• 4th place: $5,000
• 5th place: $3,000

So-called “Masters,” or professional runners ages 40 and up who compete in the “Open Division” are also eligible for prize money based on their finishing times. 

First- and second-place runners earn $3,000; third-place runners get $1,000 each.

Professional wheelchair athletes also take home cash if they finish within the top six of their division. First-place athletes in the wheelchair division get $35,000 each and are eligible for a $50,000 bonus if they break the course record. 

In addition to doling out cash rewards, the New York City Marathon raises millions annually from tens of thousands of runners who compete on behalf of charities in exchange for entry in the race. 

Since 2006, the event has raised $520 million for charity, according to New York Road Runners. 

Megan Cerullo

Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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Leslie Reeves and Chris Smith were shot during their first date. Only Smith survived. A look at how he defied the odds to make a remarkable recovery.

The scene of the crime

On the night before Thanksgiving 2021, Smith went on a first date with a woman named Leslie Reeves. The morning after, first responders found Smith in his Farmersville, Illinois, home with a bullet lodged in his brain. Reeves was dead.

Shooting victim in a coma

EMTs rushed Smith to a hospital where he underwent brain surgery and was placed in a medically induced coma.

A bullet lodged in his brain

Fragments of the bullet remained in Smith’s brain. His doctors say that to retrieve the bullet could risk causing further damage. 

Family support

Smith’s mother, Sharon Costanza, and sister, Ashli Holcomb, sat by his side during his recovery. Doctors told them chances were very low that Smith would return to his previous level of functioning.

No memory

In January 2022,  Smith woke from his coma and asked where he was and what had happened. He remembered nothing from the night of the shooting. He had no memory of his date with Reeves, even though he’d been talking on the phone and messaging with her two weeks before the shooting. 

A poor prognosis

Due to Smith’s injuries, his neurosurgeon, Dr. Victor Williams, told Smith he likely would not be able to walk again.  Williams and his team were dedicated to doing everything they could to aid Chris’ recovery. 

A life forever changed

Smith’s left leg is partially paralyzed from his hip to his knee. From his knee to his toes, he is completely paralyzed.After he left the hospital, he had to move back in with his mother. 

Regaining his strength

Most days, Smith goes to the gym and works on regaining his strength so that someday he’ll be able to walk without assistance.     

A survivor

Smith says he is determined to hold on tight to his new lease on life. He is back singing with his rock band. And he proposed to his fianceé, Michelle Albrecht. 

New aspirations

‘Smith hopes to become a motivational speaker and has his own website.    

A miracle recovery

Smith’s mother says his recovery is nothing short of a miracle.

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