Boeing strike ends as workers accept new pay deal
Boeing workers ended their strike on Monday after voting to accept the company’s latest offer, reports a Kazinform News Agency correspondent. The vote, with 59% approval from members of the International Association of Machinists (IAM), concluded a costly strike that spanned several weeks and created disruptions across Boeing’s production and supply chain.
IAM President Jon Holden praised the vote, expressing pride in members’ achievements and readiness to move forward. “I’m proud of our members. It is a win,” he said. “They achieved a lot, and we’re ready to move forward.” Holden noted that after two rejections, members were now “ready to come back.”
Boeing’s CEO Kelly Ortberg also welcomed the resolution, stating, “We will only move forward by listening and working together. There is much work ahead to return to the excellence that made Boeing an iconic company.”
According to CNN, under the new contract, the 33,000 workers will see an immediate 13% raise, followed by 9% in each of the next two years and another 7% in the final year, totaling over 43% in wage increases. They also receive a $12,000 signing bonus, part of which they can allocate to retirement accounts. However, the deal does not restore the traditional pension plan that many members hoped to regain after it was removed in 2014. Holden acknowledged that the pension issue was a “righteous fight” for many members, especially for the 41% who voted against the deal.
Union leaders had encouraged members to accept the offer, even though it didn’t differ significantly from the previous one. They warned that rejecting it might lead to a less favorable deal in the future. The strike had already cost Boeing over $6.5 billion in lost revenue and impacted 44,000 jobs across Boeing and its supply chain, including temporary layoffs at several suppliers.
Despite the financial impact, Boeing remains a major economic contributor, supporting around 1.6 million jobs directly and indirectly across the U.S., with an estimated $79 billion annual contribution to the economy.
