ST. LOUIS – Boeing union members rejected a new contract offer from the company Friday morning, extending a month-long strike that involves St. Louis-area workers.
More than 3,200 Boeing defense workers remain on strike across the St. Louis region.
The strike began on Aug. 4 when union members with International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 837 (IAM 837) overwhelmingly rejected a contract offer that initially included a 20% pay increase over four years and a $5,000 bonus for newer hires.
The company’s latest offer extended the agreement to five years and offered a total raise of 24 percent, but reduced the signing bonus to $4,000.
Boeing claims this is the best deal they have ever offered to IAM 837. However, union workers have expressed feeling disrespected by Boeing during negotiations, demanding better package of pay and benefits.
“That’s a best-case scenario for certain individuals. That’s not for all of us,” said Dylan Oetjen, an F-15 electric lead and union member who voted against the deal. “I believe in equality, and we should all be paid like we build the product that we do for America.”
Boeing said the proposed agreement would provide an average wage growth of about 45%. But union members argued that few employees would actually see that level of pay increase. The contract included an 8% raise in the first year, followed by 4% increases each year for the next four years. To reach the 45% figure, workers say they would need to qualify for additional enhancements such as certain shifts and high attendance rates.
On Friday, 57% of voters rejected Boeing’s latest contract offer.
Union member Christy Williams said many veteran employees were concerned that the contract offered larger percentage increases to newer workers, while those who have spent decades reaching top pay scales would see smaller gains.
“Our members will not back down until the company gets serious about doing right by the workers who build America’s defense,” IAM Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett said in a statement.
Boeing expressed disappointment in the outcome and shared the following statement on behalf of Dan Gillian, Air Dominance Vice President and General Manager and Senior St. Louis Site Executive:
“We’re disappointed our employees have rejected a 5-year offer, including 45% average wage growth. We’ve made clear the overall economic framework of our offer will not change, but we have consistently adjusted the offer based on employee and union feedback to better address their concerns. In the meantime, no further talks are scheduled. We will continue to execute our contingency plan, including hiring permanent replacement workers, as we maintain support for our customers.”
As of Friday, no new negotiation meetings have been scheduled.
And just last week, Boeing announced plans to move forward with hiring replacement workers as the strike persists.
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