United States: Boeing workers on strike for recognition of their work demand support from elected officials
Ten days after the Boeing strike began, union members are calling for support from elected officials. The strike is taking place at Boeing's St. Louis and St. Charles, Missouri, and Mascoutah, Illinois, plants that manufacture F-15 and F-18 fighter jets, the T-7 Red Hawk pilot training system, and the MQ-25 drone.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union sent letters to Missouri representatives and senators on Wednesday, August 13.
"We respectfully ask you to join us in supporting this highly skilled workforce, whose role is vitally important," the union wrote in letters to Missouri representatives and senators, calling Boeing's latest offer "mediocre."
Dan Gillian, vice president of Boeing's Air Dominance division, said: "We are surprised that IAM's international leadership would describe our offer as 'mediocre,' when they had hailed it as a 'historic' agreement that they approved only three weeks ago."
However, the mobilization is taking place in a particular context. The day before the strike began, some 3,200 members of District 837 of the IAM union had again rejected, on Sunday, August 3, the revised proposal for a new company contract.
Boeing 's initial proposal, rejected a week earlier, included a 20 percent pay increase over four years and more vacation time. The new offer included a 40 percent increase, according to Boeing.
The union had warned that if no agreement was reached within seven days, IAM Local 837 could call a strike.
Separately, in the fall of 2024, a historic strike was called at Boeing's commercial aircraft production plants in the northwest United States, involving approximately 33,000 workers.
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