St. Louis area
ST. LOUIS – IAM District Lodge 837 members at Boeing Defense factories in and around St. Louis voted to strike on Aug. 3, in what is that union’s first strike in almost 30 years.
The strike involves 3,200 workers who primarily fabricate parts and assemble military aircraft, including F-15 and F/A-18 fighters, T-7 trainers and MQ-25 refueling drones. Some also produce parts for Boeing’s 777X commercial jet and some are involved in assembling bombs and missiles used by the U.S. military and allies, including Ukraine.
SPEEA’s Executive Board is standing in support of the striking workers. In a letter to IAM 837 leadership, they noted that “Boeing has an unfortunate history of undervaluing its workers” and pledged to “stand with the 3,200 IAM 837 member demanding a contract that reflects their worth.”
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg told Wall Street analysts that the company would “manage” without the striking workers and downplayed the impact the work stoppage would have on the company or its military customers.
The strike came after workers voted to reject two Boeing contract offers, saying that they didn’t do enough to restore concessions the union had agreed to in 2014.
Back then, Boeing had lost a series of defense contracts and was threatening to close its St. Louis facilities unless its unionized workers agreed to major wage and benefit cuts.
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