Boeing workers reject latest offer as strike enters third month

Striking workers at Boeing Defense in Missouri have rejected the company’s latest five-year contract proposal, extending a work stoppage that has disrupted fighter jet production for nearly three months.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837, representing about 3,200 employees, said the offer failed to meet members’ expectations on key issues such as retirement contributions and bonuses.

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“Boeing claimed they listened to their employees—the result of today’s vote proves they have not,” IAM International President Brian Bryant said in a statement. “Boeing’s corporate executives continue to insult the very people who build the world’s most advanced military aircraft.”

Boeing expressed disappointment with the outcome. “We’re disappointed with the vote result,” the company said, adding it would “turn our focus to executing the next phase of our contingency plan.”

The rejected proposal was largely similar to previous ones. It included a $3,000 stock grant that would vest over three years, a $1,000 retention bonus after four years, and adjusted wage increases for top-tier workers. Boeing also reduced the ratification bonus from earlier offers.

“To fund the increases in this offer, we had to make trade-offs,” Boeing Vice President Dan Gillian told employees last week, noting that some hourly pay increases tied to attendance and shift work were reduced.

Union leaders have been pushing for higher retirement contributions and a ratification bonus closer to the $12,000 received by Boeing’s commercial division workers during a separate strike last year.

The strike, which began on August 4, has already delayed deliveries of F-15EX fighter jets to the U.S. Air Force. In Senate testimony earlier this month, Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach confirmed that production setbacks were affecting timelines.

Boeing, which is set to report third-quarter results on Wednesday, is expected to post another unprofitable quarter. Analysts anticipate the company will record a multi-billion-dollar charge on its delayed 777X program, now six years behind schedule.

Union officials accused Boeing of bargaining in bad faith in a complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board on October 16. “It’s well past time for Boeing to stop cheaping out on the workers who make its success possible and bargain a fair deal that respects their skill and sacrifice,” Bryant added.

Many striking workers have been relying on $300 weekly strike benefits, part-time jobs, and personal savings since their company health coverage ended on August 30. Boeing maintains that its contingency measures have mitigated the impact of the walkout on production.