Striking Boeing engineers vote on new contract with 38% increase

BoeingThe more than 32,000 striking machinists will vote on a contract proposal for the third time on Monday.

If a simple majority approves the offer, it would end the more than seven-week work stoppage that has halted most of the troubled company's aircraft production – another turning point in what executives once called Boeing's turnaround year.

Results are expected late Monday evening after polls close at 7 p.m. PT.

The proposal calls for raises of 38% over four years, up from Boeing's proposed 35% raise, which workers rejected late last month, extending the strike. The deal that sparked the strike in September called for wage increases of 25%, whereas the union had originally pushed for wage increases of about 40%.

According to Boeing, the machinist's salary at the end of this contract proposal will average $119,309.

Workers have complained about the skyrocketing cost of living in the Seattle area, where most Boeing planes are made.

But when the union unveiled the proposal last Wednesday, it warned that this deal might be the best workers could get.

“In every negotiation and every strike, there comes a point where we have gotten all we can through negotiations and through the restraint of our workforce,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 said in a statement. “We are at this point now and risk declining or reduced supply in the future.”

On Saturday, the union told workers that “it is truly time to secure these gains and work to build more in future negotiations. You can confidently declare victory, vote yes to this agreement and build on it for generations to come.”

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who took over in August, also called on workers to get back to work.

“I know the strike has been difficult for both you and our customers, suppliers, communities and everyone who works at Boeing,” he said in an employee statement Friday. “It is time for us all to come together again and focus on rebuilding the company and delivering the best aircraft in the world. Many people depend on us.”

Boeing has raised more than $20 billion to shore up its finances.