Striking Union Rejects Boeing’s ‘Best And Final’ Offer of 30 Percent Wage Hike

Union members picket outside a Boeing factory in Renton, Wash., on Sept. 13, 2024. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

Boeing has put forward its “best and final” offer of a 30 percent pay raise over four years to end a prolonged strike, but a union representing thousands of striking workers has pushed back.

The offer included a $6,000 ratification bonus, the reinstatement of a performance bonus, and improved retirement benefits, according to a letter sent to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union on Sept. 23.

Mike Fitzsimmons, vice president of labor relations at Boeing, said the offer “recognizes the contributions our employees make to the company’s success and future,” and that it is contingent on ratification by Sept. 27.

“We request that you submit this offer to your membership for a vote as soon as possible to bring an end to the current strike and allow our employees to return to work and refocus together on the future and the Company’s recovery,” Fitzsimmons stated in the letter.

IAM District 751 has declined to hold a vote on the offer, saying that it is not Boeing’s decision to call for a vote and that there isn’t enough time to prepare, including securing voting locations.

The union said it had contacted Boeing to engage in direct talks or a mediated discussion but the company refused to meet for further discussion, “therefore, we will not be voting on the 27th.”

The union also said that Boeing was damaging the negotiation process by taking the offer directly to workers and the media without having any communication with union representatives.

“This offer was not negotiated with your Union; it was thrown at us without any discussion,” it stated on X. “This tactic is a blatant show of disrespect to you - our members - and the bargaining process.”

IAM District 751 said that the aircraft maker has “missed the mark with this proposal” as it failed to fully address the concerns raised by striking workers.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Boeing for comment.

Some 33,000 Boeing workers went on strike on Sept. 13 after the union announced that over 94 percent of its members voted to reject Boeing’s offer, marking the union’s first strike since 2008. The workers have sought a 40 percent wage hike.

An earlier tentative deal between Boeing and the union offered a 25 percent raise over four years and a commitment that a new aircraft would be manufactured in the Seattle area if it were launched during the four-year agreement.

Boeing has frozen hiring and started furloughs for thousands of U.S. employees to reduce costs amid the strike. The company has planned for workers to take one week of furlough every four weeks on a rolling basis for the duration of the strike.

Reuters contributed to this report.