Boeing workers threaten strikes at US fighter jet factories
Union members rejected the aircraft manufacturer’s proposed new contract, which included a 20 per cent pay rise over 4 years
Members of a union representing workers who assemble fighter jets in two Boeing factories rejected the US aircraft manufacturer’s proposed new contract on Sunday, paving the way for possible strikes.
“IAM Union members delivered a clear message: the proposal from Boeing Defence fell short of addressing the priorities and sacrifices of the skilled … workforce,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said in a statement.
More than 3,200 members of the union employed at Boeing facilities in the Midwestern states of Missouri and Illinois rejected the company’s contract offer.
According to the union, their contract expires at the end of the day on Sunday. The workers part of IAM branch 837 will go on strike if no deal is reached with the aerospace giant in the next seven days.
The move could deal a serious blow to the company, after a seven-week long walkout by Seattle-based workers last year crippled two of Boeing’s major assembly plants.
“We’re disappointed our employees voted down the richest contract offer we’ve ever presented to IAM 837 which addressed all their stated priorities,” said Dan Gillian, vice-president of Boeing Air Dominance and general manager of the site in St Louis, Missouri.