Machinists approve latest Boeing contract offer, ending strike

Boeing machinists approved the company's latest contract offer on Monday night, ending a nearly eight-week strike by more than 33,000 workers.

Union leaders from IAM District 751 had urged members to accept the latest offer, which included a higher wage increase and ratification bonus, but no reinstated pension benefit.

Fifty-nine percent of Machinists voted in favor, sending Puget Sound-area workers back to the production line as soon as Wednesday. The union says all members must be back at work by November 12.

The four-year deal includes a 38% general wage increase, slightly up from the 35% proposed in a deal rejected by union members last week. Machinists had been demanding a 40% wage hike since they went on strike September 13 to keep up with inflation and the cost of living.

Announcing the results at IAM 751's union hall in South Park, president Jon Holden was met with a mix of applause and a few boos, telling members "It's time for us to come together. This is a victory."

Boeing offered workers a one-time bonus of $12,000 to ratify the deal, up from previous offers of $7,000 and $3,000 before that. The company has also reinstated a popular annual incentive program.

As for retirement benefit plans, Boeing’s matches to employees’ 401(k) plans would increase. Pension plans however, which have long been a sticking point for many members, were not reinstated in this contract.

“This contract also creates a new foundation to build on for the future and that future begins today," Holden said in a joint statement with IAM W24 president Brandon Bryant after the vote. "We are ready to help Boeing change direction and return to building the highest quality and safest airplanes in the world."

In a statement, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said "While the past few months have been difficult for all of us, we are all part of the same team. We will only move forward by listening and working together. There is much work ahead to return to the excellence that made Boeing an iconic company."

Despite the contract agreement, Boeing still plans to lay off about 10% of its workforce. Last month, Ortberg said that the strike and the layoffs are separate matters and that the company needed to "right size and be efficient."

Meanwhile, elected officials are trumpeting the end of the strike.

President Joe Biden offered his congratulations to both Boeing and the Machinists union Monday night. "Over the last four years, we’ve shown collective bargaining works. Good contracts benefit workers, businesses, and consumers—and are key to growing the American economy from the middle out and the bottom up," he said in a written statement.

And Washington Governor Jay Inslee joined in the chorus of congratulations. "Tonight's vote by the Machinists puts Boeing's future back on more solid footing. Washington is home to the world's most skilled aerospace workers and they understandably took a stand for the respect and compensation they deserve," Inslee said in a Monday night statement.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.