Union files unfair labor practices charge again Boeing, company responds

By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
Managing Editor, Illinois Business Journal
[email protected]

On Oct. 16, 2025, Reuters reported that the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents more than 3,200 union employees currently on strike at Boeing Defense in the St. Louis region, had filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.

“The filling marks an escalation in an ongoing back-and-forth between the two sides, as they failed to come to an agreement to end a strike that is now in its third month,” the Reuters report noted.

The union has been pressing Boeing for a contract that includes higher retirement plan contributions, similar to the contract successfully negotiated with its Seattle-area workers last year.

The St. Louis region’s workers went on strike Aug. 4, 2025, after rejecting Boeing’s second offer. The workers had also rejected another proposal which involved a 24 percent general wage increase over five years and a $4,000 ratification bonus.

The members, however, voted 90 percent in favor of a four-year contract proposal floated by the union that Boeing refused to consider, according to previous Reuters news reports. “Boeing has summarily rejected multiple union proposals without making any counter offers addressing member concerns, in clear violation of its legal duty to negotiate in good faith under the National Labor Relations Act,” the union noted.

Boeing issued a response via its website to the unfair labor practice charge filed by the union with the NLRB. The response posted on Oct. 16 said: “We’re surprised by the union’s latest publicity stunt, especially since the parties have been engaged for several weeks with the help of a federal mediator. There is nothing unfair about growing wages by 45% on average to $109,000 a year through our landmark contract offer for Midwest manufacturing.”

Previously, on Oct. 7, a Boeing official had posted this message on its website as an update to the strike situation:

Update from Dan Gillian, Air Dominance VP/GM and Senior St. Louis Site Executive

“A lot of words have been flying around the past several weeks about the strike, the company and the union.

Here’s the truth: I miss having our team together, and I want all 3,200 of you back at work. We’ve heard from many of you that you want to be back too. Since the strike began 65 days ago, our teammates have lost an average of more than $19,000 in pay and a signing bonus. That’s why finding a path forward is more important than ever.

Your union leadership is telling you to hold out for a $10K ratification bonus and a different 401(k) formula. But I want to be clear: there is no more coming. That means we are not going to offer you a $10K ratification bonus or a different 401(k) plan. With that being said, we’re still willing to shift around some elements of our offer to best meet your needs.

Our goal is always to pay you at the top of the scale. Our scale is advanced manufacturing in the Midwest, and our offer was deliberately better than your peers in this region. It currently features 45% average wage growth, a $4K ratification bonus, more vacation and sick time, and better health care. That offer reflects the respect you deserve, which is why your union leadership endorsed it in September, just like they endorsed our previous offer that they lauded as “landmark” in August.

As leaders, our job is not to tell you what you want to hear; it’s to tell you the truth. That’s what your union leadership did back in August and September when they endorsed the contracts we negotiated together, and that’s what I’m doing today. The truth is, the company made a great offer because you deserve a great offer. And we want you back doing what you do best.”

On Oct. 9, another correspondence to striking workers was published on the Boeing website space set up for strike updates. It is a letter to workers that was written by Steve Parker, president and CEO of Defense, Space & Security.

In the letter, Parker wrote: “…No matter how long the strike lasts, the economics won’t change. The bottom line is firm. Each of the offers we’ve put forward would give you a better deal than anything comparable we’ve seen in our region and industry, keeping our business competitive so we can keep winning and delivering together, and building on our proud St. Louis legacy for generations to come. Some may convince you that holding the line will result in more money. It won’t…

Parker’s letter in its entirety can be viewed here.

The IAMAW union says it filed the unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB against The Boeing Company for “refusing to bargain in good faith.”

According to an official statement distributed by the union, “Since mid-September, Boeing has summarily rejected multiple union proposals without making any counter offers addressing member concerns, in clear violation of its legal duty to negotiate in good faith under the National Labor Relations Act. The company’s stonewalling comes despite the IAM membership’s passage of a sensible, pre-ratified offer on Sept. 19 — a proposal designed to end the strike and return members to work.”