Boeing Defense workers have endorsed a new five-year contract, ending their strike at three locations after 100 days. The International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers members approved the fifth proposal by Boeing, with the recommendation of their union.
Neither Boeing nor the IAM indicated the margin for the election, which involved about 3,200 workers in St. Louis and St. Charles, Mo., and Mascoutah, Ill. Boeing assembles the F-15 and F/A-18 fighter aircraft and several missile and defense systems at those locations. Manufacturing is due to resume when the workers return on November 16.
“We’re proud of what our members have fought for together and are ready to get back to building the world’s most advanced military aircraft," according to a statement from the Intl. Assn. of Machinists.
The new agreement provides workers with a 24% wage increase over five years, which according to Boeing will raise workers’ average annual base pay from $75,000 to $109,000. The new contract also provides more vacation time and sick leave, and it grants a $6,000 signing bonus to each worker. Significantly, Boeing has assured the union workers that none of them will be replaced after the deal is ratified.
The strike began on August 4 with the failure of the first five-year, negotiated proposal by Boeing. A vote on a second proposal in late August, and subsequent offers in September and October continued the outage.
In late September Boeing began an effort to hire and train replacement workers, while the IAM continued to press its wage and bonus arguments - maintaining that Boeing was more generous to its Boeing Commercial Airplanes workers during the IAM-led strike there in September and October 2024.
