Boeing workers reject contract offer as efforts to end strike fail
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A "Strike" sign carved in a log is seen as a Boeing Machinist Union member enters the IAM District 751 Union Hall to vote on the latest contract presented by the airline giant after weeks of striking, in Seattle, Washington, on Wednesday. Photo: Grant Hindsley/AFP via Getty Images
Boeing workers will remain on strike after 64% of union members voted against ratifying a new contract, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) announced Wednesday night.
Why it matters: The strike that involves thousands of striking machinists has lasted for six weeks and crippled Boeing's production in a year when the aerospace giant was grappling with a battered reputation stemming from quality and safety issues.
- Experts estimate the strike likely cost the aircraft maker billions.
- Boeing released an earnings report showing the company had lost $6.1 billion over the third quarter, which it said reflects the impacts of the work stoppage.
What they're saying: Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, and Brandon Bryant, president of IAM District W24, said in a joint statement late Wednesday that the elected negotiating committee of workers "did not recommend for or against" the tentative contract deal reached last Saturday.
- "This is workplace democracy," they added. "Ten years of holding workers back unfortunately cannot be undone quickly or easily, but we will continue to negotiate in good faith until we have made gains that workers feel adequately make up for what the company took from them in the past."
- Boeing declined to comment on the results of the vote.
State of play: The tentative deal that Boeing and the IAM struck for the union's 33,000 members would have seen a 35% pay rise over four years.
- Last month, some 95% of union members rejected the aircraft maker's earlier offer and voted to strike.
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Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
