Boeing workers will vote on a third contract agreement on Monday that could end a seven-week strike that has halted production at the troubled planemaker.
Results are expected late on Monday and workers could return to work as early as Wednesday following the approval of the new contract.
The 33,000 workers, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 and District W24, have been on strike since 13 September after rejecting Boeing’s final offer by 94% before their contract expired.
The union urged members to vote to approve the latest deal, which includes a 38% wage increase over the four-year contract that Boeing has said would increase the average annual machinists’ pay at the end of the four-year contract to $119,309, up from $75,608 in the previous contract.
The agreement also restores a performance bonus with a guaranteed minimum of 4% annually.
“It is time for our members to lock in these gains and confidently declare victory. We believe asking members to stay on strike longer wouldn’t be right as we have achieved so much success,” the union wrote in an announcement to membership. “In every negotiation and strike, there is a point where we have extracted everything that we can in bargaining and by withholding our labor. We are at that point now and risk a regressive or lesser offer in the future.”
An agreement would offer the Boeing CEO, Kelly Ortberg, some relief after a rocky start to his tenure. Ortberg took over the company in August and has pledged a “fundamental culture change” at the company after years of safety scandals.
Workers remain divided over the offer. Boeing workers rejected a tentative agreement by 64% that included 35% wage increases over the life of the contract on 23 October.
Brian Bryant, the IAM president, credited Julie Su, the US labor secretary, for continuing to bring Boeing and the union together to continue negotiating a deal.
“Nearly every worker in America knows what it’s like for a company to take too much and give too little,” Bryant said. “A contract like this would send an inspiring message to all workers in the United States who are seeking to join unions or who have been shortchanged by their employer. That said, we will continue to stand by the membership no matter the outcome of Monday’s democratic vote on these newly improved terms.”
