Boeing Strike: Machinists Union Votes to Authorize Strike

Background

On Friday, August 19, 2022, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) announced that its members had voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike against The Boeing Company.

The union represents approximately 25,000 Boeing employees in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, including machinists, assemblers, and other production workers.

Key Issues

The union's main concerns in the negotiations, which have been ongoing for nine months, include wages, benefits, and job security.

Boeing has proposed a 5% wage increase over three years, while the union is seeking an 8% increase.

The union is also seeking improvements to health care benefits and protections against layoffs.

Impact of Strike

A strike at Boeing would have a significant impact on the company and the aerospace industry as a whole.

Boeing is the world's largest aerospace manufacturer, and a strike would disrupt production of its commercial and military aircraft.

The strike could also lead to delays in deliveries of new aircraft to airlines and other customers.

Next Steps

The union has set a strike deadline of September 1, 2022.

If no agreement is reached by that date, the union will begin a strike.

Both Boeing and the union have expressed a willingness to continue negotiating, but it remains to be seen whether a deal can be reached before the deadline.