Boeing workers vote to strike after contract negotiations rejected by members
Factory workers at Boeing will walk off the job Friday after members voted late Thursday evening in favor of a strike, according to a report.
"This is about respect, this is about addressing the past, and this is about fighting for our future," said Jon Holden, who headed the negotiations for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Boeing's largest union, Reuters reported.
He then announced roughly 30,000 workers who produce Boeing's 737 MAX and other jets on the U.S. west coast voted 96% in favor of striking and subsequently halting production of the planemaker's strongest-selling jet.
The strike will be workers' first since 2008. It will formally start at midnight Pacific time as Friday begins.
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In a statement, Boeing said it was committed to continuing negotiations.
"The message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with IAM leadership was not acceptable to the members. We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union and we are ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement," the company said.
The strike comes amid numerous other delays over production and as the company faces heat after a door panel blew off a near-new 737 MAX jet in mid-air in January.
It also comes just weeks after new CEO Kelly Ortberg was brought on in August to restore faith in the company.
The strike comes as a jarring conclusion to negotiations over a deal that would see an increase in workers’ wages.
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The deal included a general wage increase of 25%, a $3,000 signing bonus and a pledge to build Boeing's next commercial jet in the Seattle area.
Initially, IAM leadership recommended that its members accept the contract, but many workers responded angrily. Many of the dissenters argued for the originally demanded 40% pay rise and lamented the loss of an annual bonus.
According to Reuters, IAM members ultimately voted 94.6% to reject the agreement, which was their first full contract in 16 years.
"We're going to get back to the table as quickly as we can," Holden told a group of reporters on Thursday.
He would not say how long he thought the strike would last or when talks would resume, adding: "This is something that we take one day at a time, one week at a time."
Workers have been protesting all week in Boeing factories in Seattle.
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The duration of the walkout is not immediately clear.
The Boeing workers' last strike in 2008 continued for 52 days and cost Boeing an estimated $100 million per day.
Reuters contributed to this report.