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Striking Boeing defense workers vote on new contract
FILE PHOTO: A Boeing logo is seen before the opening of the 55th International Paris Airshow at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, June 13, 2025.
Benoit Tessier | Reuters
Roughly 3,200 Boeing defense workers were voting Thursday on a new contract that could end a more than three-month strike that has delayed the manufacturer’s production of F-15 fighter jets and other programs.
The workers rejected previous offers, with their union saying the proposals failed to address concerns.
The contract proposal the workers are voting on Thursday includes 24% wage increases over five years as well as a $6,000 upfront bonus, up from $3,000, though it gets rid of a previous Boeing proposal for $4,000 in payments later on.
The mostly St. Louis-based workers, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837, went on strike on Aug. 4, their first stoppage since 1996.
Boeing’s defense unit accounted for about 30% of the $65.5 billion in sales Boeing brought in during the first nine months of 2025.
“The strike impacted our fighter production, so F-15, F-18 mods as well as some of our munitions work,” CEO Kelly Ortberg said at a Morgan Stanley investor conference on Sept. 11.
Boeing brought in non-IAM-represented workers during the strike for some of its products, Ortberg said last month.
If the new contract is ratified, the union workers would return as early as Sunday.
The defense-unit’s comes about a year after more than 32,000 unionized machinists who build commercial aircraft walked off the job for seven weeks after failed contract talks last year.
