Boeing factory workers accept contract, ending strike

Name: WORLD
Price range: $

A Boeing employee walks by a sign urging union members to vote no on a contract proposal. Associated Press/Photo by Lindsey Wasson

Boeing factory workers accept contract, ending strike

Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union on Monday voted to approve the company’s latest formal offer. The deal includes a 38% wage increase over four years, a signing bonus, an annual performance bonus, and an increased 401(k) matching plan. Nearly 60% of union members who cast ballots voted to accept the proposal, ending the strike that began seven weeks ago.

What happens now? The more than 30,000 workers who went on strike can return to work as early as Wednesday and no later than by Nov. 12, according to the union. Production is set to resume at factories in the Pacific Northwest where most of the union members work. Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company will move forward to improve the business. Boeing lost billions of dollars during the strike, though it did not impact the company’s nonunionized plant in South Carolina.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on layoffs amid the worker strike.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.