Manny Briones, an iron machinist from Seattle, welcomes members and supporters of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Worker Union District 751 for an early strike-sanction vote at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on July 17.
Jason Redmon/AFP via Getty Images
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Jason Redmon/AFP via Getty Images
Boeing and its machinists’ union have reached a tentative deal on a new contract — just days before thousands of workers who make the company’s airplanes were planning to strike.
The International Association of Machinists Districts 751 and W24 represent about 33,0000 production employees based on the West Coast. Over the past month, the aircraft manufacturer and the union have been negotiating a new contract before the current one expires on Thursday. It was the union’s first time at the bargaining table in 16 years.
On Sunday, Boeing announced that it agreed to raise wages 25% over the life of the contract, contribute more to employees’ retirement, lower the employee contributions for health insurance and provide more time off.
“This contract deepens our commitment to the Pacific Northwest. Boeing’s roots are here in Washington. It is where generations of workers have built incredible airplanes that connect the world,” Stephanie Pope, CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit, said in a statement.
The union’s rank-and-file members still need to vote on Boeing’s proposal and decide whether to authorize a strike if the offer is rejected. If that’s the case, a walkout could begin as soon as Friday morning.
IAM District 751 President Jon Holden and W24 President Brandon Bryant said they backed Boeing’s offer — despite the union’s initial ask for a wage increase of more than 40% over three years.
“Negotiations are a give and take, and although there was no way to achieve success on every single item, we can honestly say that this proposal is the best contract we’ve negotiated in our history,” Holden and Bryant said Sunday in a statement.