Boeing workers have voted to go on strike after the members of the aircraft maker’s largest union overwhelmingly rejected a contract offer on Thursday. The vote by machinists, who construct Boeing’s 737, 777, and 767 jets, comes as their current contract is set to expire at midnight Friday local time.
The strike vote is significant because it affects a substantial portion of Boeing’s workforce in the Seattle area, totaling 33,000 machinists. This action could impact the company’s efforts to ramp up production and improve its reputation, which has suffered recently due to quality and safety issues.
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According to a report from Axios, Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) had reached a tentative agreement on September 8. The deal proposed a 25% pay raise over a four-year contract. However, the IAM had initially sought a 40% increase. Despite union leaders’ support for the agreement, the vote by the machinists showed strong disapproval.
Jon Holden, president of Machinist Union District 751, had anticipated the rejection of the agreement. He said, “The message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with IAM leadership was not acceptable to the members.” Holden emphasized that the strike was about advocating for the future and the issues that matter to the union members.
A Boeing spokesperson responded to the vote, stating, “We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union, and we are ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement.”
Holden also expressed a willingness to negotiate further, saying, “We will be back at the table whenever we can get there to drive forward on the issues our members say are important.”
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