Boeing Defense workers set to vote on latest contract proposal Thursday, Nov. 13
By MELISSA CROCKETT MESKE
Managing Editor,
Illinois Business Journal
More than 3,200 Boeing Defense workers in the St. Louis region are set to vote Thursday, Nov. 13, on the company’s latest contract proposal, potentially ending a strike that has stretched into its fourth month and disrupted deliveries of key military aircraft.
The new offer modestly reduces the total ratification bonus but gives workers more cash upfront if the agreement is approved, according to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837.
Apart from that change, the proposal is largely unchanged from earlier versions union members rejected.
The strike, which began Aug. 4, has delayed shipments of F-15 fighter jets to the U.S. Air Force and slowed production of F/A-18s, T-7 trainers, and wing assemblies for Boeing’s 777X commercial jet. The work stoppage affects several Boeing plants in the St. Louis area.
Boeing’s latest offer includes a 24 percent general wage increase over five years and a $6,000 signing bonus, up from $3,000 in the prior proposal. The company, however, trimmed $4,000 in later-term bonuses.
The union has been pressing for a larger upfront payment and stronger retirement benefits, arguing for parity with Boeing’s Seattle-area workers, who secured richer terms last year.
If approved, workers could begin returning to their jobs as soon as Sunday night.
The company made the new proposal public, bypassing the union’s bargaining committee—an unusual step that union leaders criticized. The IAM filed an unfair labor practice complaint last month with the National Labor Relations Board, accusing Boeing of not negotiating in good faith.
Boeing has also begun hiring permanent replacement workers as part of its contingency plan. Union officials said those employees could take up to six months to fully train and receive the necessary security clearances.
In a letter to employees earlier in the week, Boeing Defense Chief Executive Steve Parker said all striking workers would be able to return to their positions if the contract is ratified, even in cases where replacements were hired. He cautioned that such assurances would not apply if workers reject the offer.
