3,000+ Boeing Defense Workers Go on Strike
3,000+ Boeing Defense Workers Go on Strike
The News
Some 3,200 Boeing defense unit workers went on strike for the first time in almost three decades early Monday after turning down a contract offer with the company.
Boeing had offered a 20% general wage increase, a $5,000 ratification bonus and other improvements. Its latest offer, which the workers voted down Sunday, included wage rises for employees at the top of the pay scale and improved retirement benefits, according to their union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837. The workers are largely based in the St. Louis area.
Boeing said the increases could average about 40% taking into account other improvements. The increases would bring average IAM 837 machinist pay to more than $102,000 from $75,000, according to Jefferies.
Timeline
The strike is the work group’s first since 1996.
Reactions
“IAM District 837 members have spoken loud and clear, they deserve a contract that reflects their skill, dedication, and the critical role they play in our nation’s defense,” said Tom Boelling, IAM District 837 directing business representative. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with these working families as they fight for fairness and respect on the job.”
Dan Gillian, a vice president at Boeing and senior St. Louis site executive, said the company is disappointed the offer was rejected.
“We are prepared for a strike and have fully implemented our contingency plan to ensure our non-striking workforce can continue supporting our customers,” he said in an emailed statement.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg brushed off the effects of a then-potential strike when the company reported results last week.
“We’ll manage through this. I wouldn’t worry too much about the implications of the strike. We’ll manage our way through that,” he said on an earnings call Tuesday.
More
The workers assemble and maintain F-15 fighter jets as well as missile systems.
It’s the latest in a series of aviation labor unions winning higher pay as the industry faces a shortfall of trained workers.
Boeing’s defense unit accounted for about 30% of the company’s $42 billion in revenue in the first half of this year.
Monday’s strike follows a bigger work stoppage at the company last year, when more than 32,000 unionized machinists who build commercial aircraft walked off the job after failed contract talks.
Boeing’s commercial airplane factory workers ended a seven-week strike that hobbled the company’s aircraft output in November, after approving a contract with 38% raises over four years and other improvements.
UMass Dartmouth Running Back, 18, Stabbed to Death
Trump Vows 'AI Force,' Czar; Polls Name Change
Sep 20, 2026
Iran Sends Trump Three Conditions to End War
Sep 19, 2026
Faulty AI Intel Nearly Started War With China
Sep 19, 2026
German General Breuer Elected NATO's Top Officer
Sep 19, 2026
Nobel Laureate: War, Sanctions Crushing Iranians
Sep 19, 2026
Dutch Police Disperse Violent Far-Right Hague Protest
Sep 19, 2026
GOP Midterm Odds Fade With 45 Days Left
Sep 19, 2026
Maher Rejects Tarlov's Claim Democrats Are Less Crazy
Sep 19, 2026
Patrick Clancy Breaks Silence After Ex-Wife Killed Kids
Sep 19, 2026
Trump Cuts Park Staff, Diverts Fees to DC
Sep 19, 2026
Holocaust Heirs Sue LA Museums Over Looted Art
Sep 19, 2026
Trump's Fed Chair Hikes Rates, Defying White House
Sep 19, 2026
Miller Drives Push to Deport Illegal Immigrant Children
Sep 19, 2026
US Lifts Sanctions on Eritrea's Military, Ruling Party
Sep 19, 2026
Air Force Admits US Has Space Weapons
Sep 19, 2026
Turkey Revokes License of Iran's Mellat Bank
Sep 19, 2026
Billionaire Ratcliffe Blasts Britain Over Immigration, Taxes
Sep 19, 2026
Navajo Nation Flash Flood Kills Three
Sep 19, 2026
Explosions Over Riyadh Trigger Saudi Air Alerts
Sep 19, 2026
Sep 19, 2026