Major Labor Strike Threatens to Shake Up Air Travel
It's been a less-than-perfect year for air travel in the United States, and things could get more difficult as a major strike threatens to shut down production for one of the world's premier airplane manufacturers.
Around 3,200 union members at Boeing facilities in Illinois and Missouri have gone on strike, effective at midnight on August 4. The strike comes after workers rejected the most recent proposal from Boeing for a new contract offer.
The employees are part of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. They're responsible for building and maintaining fighter jets, and they voted to reject Boeing's latest contract offer.
IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Sam Cicinelli said that the striking workers help build the machines that "keep our country safe."
"They deserve nothing less than a contract that keeps their families secure and recognizes their unmatched expertise."
The union says that the workers who are on strike reported to the St. Louis and St. Charles, Missouri factories, as well as one in Mascoutah, Illinois. Late last month, the workers voted to reject a four-year proposal put forth by the company, and they've now turned down the most recent offer.
"We’re disappointed our employees rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth and resolved their primary issue on alternative work schedules," Boeing said in a statement.
"We are prepared for a strike and have fully implemented our contingency plan to ensure our non-striking workforce can continue supporting our customers."
The strikes come after last year's issues that shut down a factory in Washington for several weeks. Workers there went on strike, halting the production of commercial airliners.
“The order of magnitude of this is much, much less than what we saw last fall,” said Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg last week, responding to discussions of a potential strike from those who work on fighter jets.
“So we’ll manage through this. I wouldn’t worry too much about the implications of the strike.”
Last year's strike proved to be costly, as it came after Boeing was under scrutiny for issues with commercial airliners. We'll see if the same happens after the current labor dispute.