Local machinist unhappy with national union leaders seeks office

EVERETT -- An Everett-based machinist announced Thursday he plans to run against incumbents in an upcoming national union election.

According to the Seattle Times, Jason Redrup will run on the ticket of a small group challenging leadership based in Washington, D.C.

Redrup told the Times he is running because he believes national leaders forced the 777X contract vote against the wishes of local union officials.

If the group makes the ballot, it would be the first contested election for the International Association of Machinists in more than 50 years, the Times reported.

Boeing announced it will be sending out $10,000 bonus checks to its nearly 31,000 machinist union members in the last week of January. It's a result of the January 3rd contract extension passed by union members that keeps Boeing 777X airliner production in Washington state.