A strike at Boeing’s F-15 and F/A-18 factories in the Midwest is stretching into its third month, prolonging one of the longest walkouts in company history.
About 3,200 workers at three Boeing facilities in Missouri and Illinois have been on strike since early August, boycotting work at the plants that build and maintain the US military’s F-15 Strike Eagle, the F/A-18 Hornet, and some missile technologies.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union said on Sunday that its members have voted to reject Boeing’s latest contract offer, adding that the offer “disrespects” the skilled workers who keep America’s arsenal flying.
The union also said that the disruption “continues to threaten military readiness.”
“Boeing claimed they listened to their employees — the result of today’s vote proves they have not,” said the union’s president, Brian Bryant. “Boeing’s corporate executives continue to insult the very people who build the world’s most advanced military aircraft — the same planes and military systems that keep our servicemembers and nation safe.”
“It’s well past time for Boeing to stop cheaping out on the workers who make its success possible and bargain a fair deal that respects their skill and sacrifice,” Bryant added.
Union leaders have pushed Boeing to raise retirement contributions, offer wage increases that keep pace with inflation, and match the $12,000 ratification bonus the company granted to commercial airplane workers in the Pacific Northwest who went on strike last year.
The union said that the new arrangement would have cost Boeing an additional $50 million over four years, which is “about half the cost of a single F-15 fighter jet that IAM Union members produce.”
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Boeing said on Sunday it was disappointed by the latest outcome and that the vote was narrowly decided.
“The union’s statement is misleading since the vote failed by the slimmest of margins, 51% to 49%,” Boeing said in a statement. “We are turning our focus to executing the next phase of our contingency plan in support of our customers.”
The company added on its website that it was increasingly hearing from workers “who want to cross the picket line” and “understand the value” of their offer.
Boeing said its latest counteroffer includes a general wage increase of 24% over five years, added vacation and sick leave, a retention bonus of $1,000 after four years, and Boeing stock of $3,000 that vests over three years.
It also offered workers a ratification bonus of $3,000.
Boeing and the union did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
Boeing CEO says ‘we’ll manage’
The strike’s continuation comes just days before Boeing is expected to report on its third-quarter earnings on Wednesday.
Its defense, security, and space business contribute to roughly a third of the company’s revenue, and places Boeing among the US federal government’s largest military contractors.
The company faced another, far larger strike last fall, which involved 30,000 of its machinists in the northwestern US who rejected their labor contract. That strike lasted seven weeks and ended in early November 2024.
In an earnings call in July, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the scale of this latest strike was “much, much less” than last year’s.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about the implications of the strike. We’ll manage our way through that,” Ortberg said.
The company said on its website that production across all St. Louis sites in Missouri is continuing with its non-striking employees. The company’s St. Louis facility, as its primary military aircraft manufacturing hub, is expected to be a key site for building the new sixth-generation F-47 air superiority fighter.
The striking machinists also work on the T-7A Redhawk, a training fighter jet, and the MQ-25 Stingray, a new aerial refueling drone for the US Navy that is still in testing.
The picketing also coincides with an effort by Boeing to burnish its image after a series of major safety incidents affecting its commercial airliner business.
The manufacturer has been weighed down by three high-profile crashes since 2018 involving its 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner aircraft, as well as an infamous mid-flight door plug blowout in January 2024.
The Trump administration’s awarding of the F-47 contract to Boeing was seen as a major victory for the planemaker amid its reputation struggles.
