Thousands of Boeing defense workers go on strike, impacting production of fighters and weapons

WASHINGTON — About 3,200 Boeing machinists working at its St. Louis-based defense unit went on strike early this morning, impacting production of flagship defense products such as the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-15EX.

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted on Sunday to reject the latest contract offer from Boeing, with the union workforce beginning a strike at midnight on Monday — the first such action for that local chapter since 1996.

“IAM District 837 members have spoken loud and clear, they deserve a contract that reflects their skill, dedication, and the critical role they play in our nation’s defense,” said Tom Boelling, directing business representative for IAM District 837, in a statement. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with these working families as they fight for fairness and respect on the job.” 

Boeing technicians in St. Louis is responsible for fighter jet production, as well as the manufacture of key weapons like the Joint Direct Munition and aircraft such as the MQ-25 tanker drone and T-7 trainer. That workforce will also build the sixth-generation F-47 fighter, for which Boeing won a contract in March.

IAM District 837 voted to reject an earlier contract agreement on July 28, setting the stage for the strike to start if a deal was not reached by the end of Sunday. Boeing put forward a new offer last week that included some improvements to retirement and rescinded an alternative workweek proposal that was opposed by workers, but did not increase wages past the initial proposal.

 “We’re disappointed our employees rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth and resolved their primary issue on alternative work schedules,” Dan Gillian, Boeing’s senior executive for the St. Louis site and vice president of its air dominance business, said in a statement following the vote. “We are prepared for a strike and have fully implemented our contingency plan to ensure our non-striking workforce can continue supporting our customers.”

In recent years, labor unions have been emboldened by major wins in the automative and aerospace sectors, with employees seeking better wages and benefits as companies prioritize the growth of a skilled workforce and stable operations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Boeing’s defense unit, a prolonged strike could jeopardize recent improvements in its financial performance that included two straight quarters without a loss on fixed price defense contracts, which include St. Louis-based programs like MQ-25 and T-7.

Last week, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg downplayed the impacts of a potential strike, saying that one wouldn’t reach the magnitude of last year’s machinist strike in Seattle, which lasted about two months and cost Boeing, its suppliers and its customers about $9.6 billion.

“The order of magnitude of this is much, much less than what we saw last fall. That was roughly 30,000 machinists,” he said. “So we’ll manage through this. I wouldn’t worry too much about the implications of the strike.”