Union asks lawmakers to help Boeing defense workers on strike
IAM Union, which represents the thousands of striking defense workers, asked Missouri senators and representatives to push Boeing to keep negotiating
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The union representing the 3,200 Boeing $BA defense workers on strike in the St. Louis area sent letters on Monday to members of Missouri’s Congressional Delegation asking them to step in by pushing Boeing to keep negotiating.
IAM Union said in a Wednesday release shared with Quartz that its letters sent to senators and representatives in Missouri urged them to get Boeing to “return to the bargaining table.” It also asked members of Congress to join the striking workers “on the picket line.”
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“Our members at Boeing Defense in Missouri and Illinois are disappointed and frustrated with the company’s recent contract proposals forcing them to overwhelmingly vote to reject the proposal and go on strike,” Brian Bryant, International President of IAM Union, said in the release. “Throughout these negotiations, the union has presented the company with a number of viable solutions to adequately meet our members’ needs. Our members rightly believe the compensation package offered by the company is not adequate given the recent economic trends of high inflation and skyrocketing demand for highly skilled aerospace workers.”
“We’re surprised to hear the IAM International call our offer “substandard” after hailing it as a “landmark” agreement which they endorsed just three weeks ago. We remain ready and willing to listen to any constructive proposals from the union,” Dan Gillian, Boeing Air Dominance vice president and general manager, said in a statement shared with Quartz.
More than 3,000 Boeing defense workers across facilities in St. Louis; St. Charles, Missouri; and Mascoutah, Illinois went on strike on August 4 after voting to reject a modified four-year labor agreement with Boeing the day before.
Boeing’s rejected proposal kept overtime policies the same while making adjustments to additional pay and retirement.
A week before the strike started, the workers had rejected an earlier version of a contract from Boeing. The striking workers make and maintain fighter jets such as the F-15 and F/A-18, missiles, and other defense technology.
Bloomberg first reported the news Wednesday.