ST. LOUIS, Oct. 26, 2025 — After nearly three months on strike, more than 3,200 members of IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) District 837 have voted to reject Boeing’s latest contract offer, sending a clear message that the company has failed to address the core priorities of its skilled and dedicated workforce.
“Boeing claimed they listened to their employees – the result of today’s vote proves they have not,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Boeing’s corporate executives continue to insult the very people who build the world’s most advanced military aircraft — the same planes and military systems that keep our servicemembers and nation safe. Our members aren’t going to be fooled by PR spin. It’s well past time for Boeing to stop cheaping out on the workers who make its success possible and bargain a fair deal that respects their skill and sacrifice.”
In September, IAM District 837 members passed a sensible pre-ratified offer that gave Boeing a clear path to end this strike and return to work. That proposal focused on three core priorities:
- Real retirement security after Boeing took away pensions a decade ago — including employer 401(k) contributions equal to those earned by IAM Union members in the Pacific Northwest.
- Stronger wage increases that keep up with inflation and fairly reward the most experienced and highly-skilled members who make Boeing’s defense programs successful.
- A ratification bonus that more closely approaches what Boeing has provided to its non-union workers in South Carolina and IAM Union members in the Pacific Northwest.
The IAM Union’s pre-ratified offer would add roughly $50 million over four years — about half the cost of a single F-15 fighter jet that IAM Union members produce — yet Boeing continues to reject it while watching its defense programs fall behind schedule. Boeing has paid its last two CEOs approximately $100 million in golden parachutes.
“Instead of building on our pre-ratified offer, Boeing came back with another proposal that disrespects the people who make its success possible,” said IAM Union Midwest Territory General Vice President Sam Cicinelli. “Boeing can end this strike tomorrow — all it has to do is put a fair deal on the table.”
The strike comes after Boeing secured the multi-billion dollar F-47 contract, a major U.S. defense program made possible by the ingenuity and skill of IAM Union members who have dedicated their careers to building America’s fighter aircraft. Despite these taxpayer-funded successes, Boeing refuses to invest a fraction of those resources into the workers who make its defense programs possible.
“Our members have shown incredible unity and strength throughout this strike,” said IAM Union Resident General Vice President Jody Bennett. “They’re standing up not just for themselves, but for every worker who deserves fairness, respect, and the same standard of treatment. Boeing can’t keep playing favorites between regions and expect our members to accept less.”
These highly skilled IAM Union members build and maintain the F-15, F/A-18, and advanced missile and defense systems that are essential to U.S. national security.
“From day one, our members have stood shoulder to shoulder for fairness,” said IAM Union District 837 Directing Business Representative Tom Boelling. “They know their worth and they’ve made it clear what it will take to reach an agreement. Boeing’s refusal to meet those priorities is what keeps this strike going — not our members.”
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) represents approximately 600,000 active and retired members in aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, rail, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across North America.
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