Boeing workers from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 gather on a picket line near the entrance to a Boeing production facility on the day of a vote on a new contract proposal during an ongoing strike in Renton, Washington, US on October 23. 2024.
David Ryder | Reuters
BoeingMore than 32,000 striking mechanics will vote for the third time on Monday on the contract proposal.
If a simple majority approves the offer, it would end a more than seven-week shutdown that halted most of the struggling company's plane production, another curveball in what executives once described as a turnaround year for Boeing.
The proposal includes 38% raises over four years, up from the 35% raise proposed by Boeing and rejected by workers late last month, extending the strike. The deal that started the strike last September included increases of 25%, while the union had originally demanded a wage increase of about 40%.
Boeing said mechanics' wages would average $119,309 at the end of this proposed contract.
The workers complained about the high cost of living in the Seattle area, where most of Boeing's planes are produced.
But the union, when unveiling the proposal last Wednesday, warned that this deal may be as good as workers will get.
“In every negotiation and strike, there comes a point where we extract everything we can into bargaining and withholding our work,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 said in a statement. “We are at that point now and risk making a lower or lower offer in the future.”
On Saturday, the union told workers that this is “the real time to realize these gains and work to build on more in future negotiations. You can confidently declare victory, vote yes to this agreement, and build on this for generations to come.”
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who took the reins in August, also urged workers to return to work.
“I know the strike has been difficult for you, as well as for our customers, suppliers, communities, and all Boeing workers,” he said in a memo to employees on Friday. “It's time for us all to get back together and focus on rebuilding the business and delivering the best aircraft in the world. There are a lot of people counting on us.”
Boeing has raised more than $20 billion to support its financial resources.
