Boeing and picketing workers reach tentative deal to end strike

Seattle, Washington - Boeing and its striking Seattle-area workers have reached a tentative deal to end a more than month-long stoppage, the union said Saturday.

Boeing workers from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 hold a march during their strike in Seattle, Washington.
Boeing workers from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 hold a march during their strike in Seattle, Washington.  © REUTERS

Boeing confirmed a deal was reached and said it includes a 35% pay raise over four years and a one-time ratification bonus of $7,000.

Union members will vote Wednesday on the proposal to end the strike, which began September 13 in a dispute over pay and other compensation issues, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said on social media platform X in a message to its members.

"It warrants presenting to the members and is worthy of your consideration," IAM Union District 751 said.

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The strike by some 33,000 unionized workers, mainly in Washington state, halted work at two Seattle-area assembly plants and production of its 737 MAX planes.

The workers were seeking meaningful pay increases and other gains, after of more than a decade of near-flat wages amid inflation.

The strike cost an estimated $7.6 billion in direct losses – including at least $4.35 billion for Boeing and almost $2 billion for its suppliers – the Anderson Economic Group consultancy said Friday.

Among the sweeteners Boeing is now offering are enhanced contributions to workers' retirement plans.

Boeing said in a one-sentence statement, "We look forward to our employees voting on the negotiated proposal."

Plagued by a string of recent controversies, Boeing sank into further turmoil in January when a window panel blew out mid-flight on an Alaska Airlines plane, necessitating an emergency landing on a 737 MAX, the aircraft involved in two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.

Cover photo: REUTERS

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