Striking Boeing engineers want to vote on new contract offer • Washington State Standard

Thousands of Boeing factory workers in the Puget Sound region who have been on strike for more than a month are expected to vote on a new contract proposal this week, their union said Saturday.

This latest offer improves wages and pension benefits compared to the proposal that workers rejected in mid-September before going on strike. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said members would vote Wednesday on whether to adopt the new proposal.

“Workers will ultimately decide whether this specific proposal is sufficient to meet their very legitimate needs and their goal of achieving respect and fairness at Boeing,” said IAM District 751 President Jon Holden and President Brandon Bryant of IAM District W24, in a joint statement.

Details of a potential strike agreement, including a date for when union members would return to work if the contract is accepted, will be part of the upcoming vote, the union said.

Boeing released a one-page document with highlights of the offer on Saturday morning. “We look forward to our employees voting on the negotiated proposal,” the company said in a statement.

Under the new proposal, workers would receive a general wage increase of 35% over four years, with 12% of the increase occurring in the first year. An incentive wage program would be reinstated with a guaranteed minimum annual payout of 4%, and workers would receive a one-time contract confirmation bonus of $7,000.

A previous non-negotiated offer the company released on Sept. 23 called for a 30% across-the-board wage increase over four years. The proposal, which workers overwhelmingly rejected in mid-September, included a 25% across-the-board wage increase and a $3,000 ratification bonus.

Workers had pushed for a 40% increase. The union said Saturday that the wage increase was intended to meet that demand, as wages increase over the life of the contract.

“It is safe to say that our goal of wage growth of over 40% over the life of the agreement has been achieved,” the union said in an announcement about the offer.

When it comes to retirement savings, the company offers to match 100% of the first 8% of salary an employee contributes to their 401(k) account, along with an automatic company contribution of 4%. The proposal also calls for one-time contributions of $5,000 to employees' 401(k) accounts.

The offer, which union members rejected in September, called for a 75 percent match of 401(k) contributions up to 8 percent of pay and the automatic company contribution of 4 percent.

Employees are calling for the reintroduction of a defined benefit pension plan. But Boeing remained steadfast in its opposition to reviving the pension program.

More than 33,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Washington, Oregon and California are taking part in the strike, which reached its 37th day on Saturday.

The work stoppage, which has halted aircraft production at Boeing's factories in the northwest, comes as the company struggles with financial pressures and a review of its safety record. Last week, Boeing announced it would cut around 17,000 employees in the coming months.

In recent days, members of the congressional delegation in Washington – including Democratic US Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell – called on the company and the union to reach an agreement.

Talks have been held with a federal mediator since the strike began. The union said Saturday that acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su met with union and company representatives this week to advance negotiations.