Boeing Fighter-Jet Plant Strike Stalls Output as Union Presses for Richer Pay Deal

Boeing Co. is grappling with an intensifying labor dispute at its St. Louis-area defense facility, where roughly 2,500 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have been on strike since 4 August. The walkout has halted production of F-15 and F/A-18 fighter jets, underscoring a broader wave of U.S. labor activism that is testing Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun’s effort to rebuild the company’s culture after a series of crises. Union leaders joined by Democratic lawmakers rallied outside the plant on 21 August, pressing management for a richer contract that would lift general wages, shorten the time required to reach top pay grades, and enhance 401(k) contributions. IAM president Brian Bryant said workers want terms comparable to a Seattle-area pact approved last November that delivers a 38 percent wage increase over four years. Boeing vice-president and site general manager Dan Gillian defended the company’s latest proposal, calling its average 40 percent pay boost “strong,” but the union says the package—built around a 20 percent general wage rise, a US$5,000 ratification bonus and expanded leave—is inadequate. Both sides say no new bargaining sessions are scheduled, leaving fighter-jet output idle and adding pressure on Boeing’s defense unit as the strike drags on.