Workers at Boeing who manufacture fighter jets went on strike early Monday, walking out at midnight Central Daylight Time after rejecting a revised four-year labor agreement.
Approximately 3,200 employees at Boeing’s plants in St. Louis and St. Charles, Missouri, and Mascoutah, Illinois, voted against the proposal, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) confirmed on Sunday.
The union announced the strike on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “3,200 highly-skilled IAM Union members at Boeing went on strike at midnight because enough is enough.”
The decision comes a week after the workers also rejected an earlier offer from the aerospace manufacturer, which included a 20% pay hike over four years.
“These IAM District 837 members are the ones building the aircraft and defense systems that protect our nation,” said Sam Cicinelli, the union’s Midwest territory general vice president. “They deserve a deal that safeguards their families and honors their exceptional skillset.”
Initially, union leaders had endorsed the previous contract offer, calling it a “landmark agreement” due to improvements in healthcare, pension, and overtime policies. However, after a one-week cooling-off period, workers turned down Boeing’s revised proposal.
India orders Boeing aircraft checks after deadly Air India crash
Boeing expressed regret over the outcome. “It’s disappointing that employees rejected an offer which provided 40% average wage growth and addressed key concerns around alternate work schedules,” said Dan Gillian, Boeing Air Dominance vice president and general manager, as well as the top executive at the St. Louis site. He added that the company has enacted contingency measures to maintain operations through its remaining workforce.
Boeing continues to face challenges following the fatal crashes of two 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people. More recently, an Air India-operated Boeing Dreamliner crashed in June, resulting in at least 260 fatalities.
Despite the turmoil, Boeing reported an improvement in its second-quarter financials last week, with losses reduced to $611 million compared to $1.44 billion during the same period last year.
Source: Agency