The Boeing union strike shows no signs of slowing down, with members voting to reject the company’s latest contract offer. Boeing is no stranger to union strikes after it spent the last quarter of 2024 attempting to resolve outstanding issues with irate workers, but matters have escalated into conflict once more. The Boeing workers’ strike is being led by 3,000 machinists from the plant in Mascoutah, Illinois, and smaller-scale operations across Missouri, at St. Louis and St. Charles. The strike is far smaller in magnitude compared to the one witnessed last year, however, the disruption is still significant for the aerospace company.
The Boeing union strike continues into its thirteenth week as IAM members vote to reject the latest contract offer by a narrow margin. (Image: Freepik)
The Boeing Union Strike Continues As Workers Hold Their Ground On Demands
Around 3,200 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837 voted to initiate the strike against Boeing nearly 13 weeks ago, on August 4, 2025. To address the issue, the company returned to the union workers with a contract proposal recently, outlining the terms of employment for the workers. In a vote on Sunday, however, the contract was promptly rejected.
Boeing stated that the contract was rejected by a narrow margin, with workers voting 51% to 49% to turn down the offer. The business also claimed that it had heard from workers who wanted to draw this issue to a close as they understood the value of the offer proposed to them. The union acknowledged that while the vote was indeed close, “very few” workers had chosen to cross the picket lines. “Our solidarity remains strong, and the company’s claim otherwise is wrong,” the union said in a statement.
The terms of the five-year contract were said to be similar to those laid out in previous iterations. According to Reuters, the ratification bonus was reduced, but it included $3,000 in Boeing shares, vested over three years, along with a $1,000 retention bonus in four years. Additionally, the contract also included some wage growth consideration for workers who were at the top of the pay scale, meted out in the fourth year of the contract.
Boeing’s Latest Offer Has Been Criticized for Making Minimal Adjustments to Its Terms
Boeing previously stated that it was unwilling to increase the overall value of the terms offered to striking workers, only making adjustments to which section of the contract received the allocated funds, shifting value around to better appeal to workers. “To fund the increases in this offer, we had to make trade-offs,” Boeing Vice President Dan Gillian told workers last week. These tradeoffs included reduced hourly wage increases, which were tied to worker attendance and other specifics.
This pitfall in the negotiation is largely the reason for the IAM’s reluctance to accept the contract. The union reportedly has its eyes set on higher retirement plan contributions and a ratification bonus that was closer to the $12,000 offered during the previous strike.
During a Senate hearing last week before the recent contract was proposed, Josh Arnold, a union member from St. Louis, told attending senators that the cost difference between the offer proposed by the company and that demanded by the union was half the cost of one F-15 fighter jet.
“We’re going to blow our shoulders out drilling on titanium for four years to make 96 F-15s,” Arnold told the senators, listing all the other products that the Boeing workers would help build. “We’re saying we’re going to deliver all of that to you. We want a fraction of 1% of one of the programs,” he added, stating that the company chose to cut their healthcare and demand they get back to work instead.
What Did Workers Have to Say About the Rejection of the Boeing Contract Offer?
Unsurprisingly, all the concerned parties are disappointed at the moment: the union workers with the terms of the contract and Boeing with the rejection of its contract offer. “Boeing claimed they listened to their employees—the result of today’s vote proves they have not,” Brian Bryant, IAM International President, said in a statement. “Boeing’s corporate executives continue to insult the very people who build the world’s most advanced military aircraft—the same planes and military systems that keep our servicemembers and nation safe.”
Boeing also expressed its frustration at the continuation of the strike, “We’re disappointed with the vote result. We are turning our focus to executing the next phase of our contingency plan.” The Boeing union strike appeared closer to reaching a resolution when the IAM members approved a 4-year contract proposal that it developed independently, but the contract was rejected by Boeing.
What’s Next for Boeing?
With Boeing’s latest offer rejected, the strike doesn’t appear to have drawn any closer to a conclusion, with both parties unwilling to budge. The company has managed to mitigate some of the effects of the prolonged strike after its contingency plans were put into action. This involved drawing up labor forces from other areas of operations and also included a controversial decision to replace striking workers with new hires.
The Boeing defense workers on strike have also managed to survive the last few weeks by relying on second jobs and the $300 a week in strike benefits they received from the union, but it’s unclear how long these funds will last. The Boeing machinists’ strike plans remain in place as workers continue to demand a better contract from employers that guarantees more meaningful improvements that align with their demands.
Final Thoughts on the Boeing Defense Workers Strike
The Boeing IAM strike is a primary example of the conflicts that can arise when employers and employees remain unaligned on the terms of employment and the benefits that can be offered to workers. With Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg reportedly set to earn $22 million this year, there is a clear disparity between the benefits awarded to workers and the C-suite executives at the top, which has workers demanding fairer terms of employment.
Boeing’s profit margins and overall success have been less than ideal over the last few years, and the continued conflicts that overshadowed the company’s capabilities have been a matter of great concern for many.
The success of the previous strike and the contract that was offered to workers has likely fueled the union’s push to demand more from Boeing, which also brings us back to the matter of transparency in pay and benefits and the importance of more uniform terms of employment for all workers employed by an organization.
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