Boeing strike appears increasingly likely, as union votes on contract

More than 33,000 union workers will start voting Thursday on measures that could bring Boeing airplane production to a halt with a massive strike at the embattled aerospace giant early Friday morning.

The work stoppage would begin if members, mostly in Washington, reject a deal reached by Boeing and union leadership this past weekend hailed by both parties for its historic gains for workers, including 25 percent pay raises over four years.

Despite the strong gains won in the contract, aggrieved rank-and-file union members, who build the company’s flagship planes, are eager to seize a rare opportunity to claw back lost ground over more than a decade of pay that has failed to keep up with the cost of living.

Jon Holden, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751, told the Seattle Times on Tuesday that he expected his members to vote down the deal and strike.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/09/12/boeing-strike-union-vote-contract-deal/