Boeing workers represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 at the company’s St. Louis area plants are still waiting for the plane maker to officially respond to their pre-ratified strike settlement, the union said in a virtual press conference Tuesday.
Dan Gillian, Boeing Air Dominance VP, general manager and senior St. Louis site executive, said last week that the company would not accept it. While Boeing has not formally responded to the proposal, the union is not taking the company’s silence as a rejection, Jody Bennett, IAM’s resident general VP, said at the press conference.
“I’m absolutely waiting for them to give me a formal response, and that’s the normal procedure,” Bennett said.
In an unattributed statement on Tuesday, the company said that it “has remained open to constructive talks within the boundaries of our landmark offer for Midwest manufacturing. Boeing also stated that the union has a “selective memory,” as Bennett originally supported the company’s initial offer in July.
Boeing declined to comment further on the proposed strike settlement and the negotiations.
The strike proposal is modeled after another IAM strike at packaging manufacturer Eaton’s facilities in Highland and Troy, Illinois, Bennett said. Approximately 400 workers represented by IAM Local 660 began a strike in October 2024 that lasted a month after the union came up with a contract proposal based on what the employees want. Eaton accepted the offer.
If the union doesn’t receive an official response, IAM is prepared to meet with Boeing “on any days that they’ll provide us to get face to face,” Bennett added. However, he said the reason talks have not resumed was due to Boeing’s “unwillingness to come and meet.”
“That’ll stand until the end, but we're not going to bargain against ourselves,” Bennett said. “The members accepted what we put before them. So in my mind, until they come back with something else, that's exactly where we're at, but the ball remains in their court.”
Boeing workers at the St. Louis-area facilities are seeking a deal comparable to what other plant workers at the company’s commercial aircraft facilities on the West Coast and in South Carolina have received, leading to employee expectations that the company set, Bennett said. IAM Districts 751 and W24 held a 53-day strike at Boeing’s commercial airplane facilities, leading to a deal that included a wage increase and a lump sum into employees’ 401(k)s. The deal also led to a wage increase and retention bonus at Boeing’s non-union represented 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina.
“[IAM District] 751 got a good contract after a hard-fought strike, just like these folks are doing here,” Bennett said. “We’re asking for some of what was given to the folks at 751, not everything.”
The union also addressed Gillian’s statements that IAM District 837’s strike proposal “is not real” and is a “publicity stunt.”
“If Mr. Gillian thinks this is not a real offer, then he ought to just sign it, because if he signs it, we're going back to work, and that'll prove to him that this is not a fake proposal,” Bennett said. “We're not coming in here to play games. We’ve got too many people whose lives count on these jobs right now. They're without pay, they're without insurance, and they're without certainty of what's going to happen in their future moving forward.”
Regarding Boeing's hiring of replacements for its striking workers, Bennett stated that the company is using a “scare tactic.” It’s also not so easy to replace employees, as new workers must undergo training programs that can last up to six months, depending on the role. Especially since plant employees are working on aircraft for customers like the U.S. military, which sends inspectors to ensure Boeing is meeting its set of requirements.
“They’re not going to find 3,200 people to come in here and go to work,” Bennett said. “They already have 3,200 people that are qualified to do the work. So all they got to do is sign on the dotted line and we'll get back at it.”
Depending on what Boeing told the replacement employees and striking workers, the company can bring the striking workers back and let the replacements go, Thomas Hearn, a partner at the law firm Obermayer, said in an email. They may also keep the replacements, leaving the strikers out of the job until a position opens and “they have made an unconditional request for reinstatement.”
Last week, five House Democrats sent a letter to Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg, urging the company to return to the table and bargain in good faith. The lawmakers also raised their concerns regarding Boeing’s hiring to replace its striking workforce.
Hasan Solomon, IAM’s national political and legislative director, said the union sent a letter to President Donald Trump seeking assistance, but has not heard back. Nevertheless, the union received “an outpouring of bipartisan support,” Solomon said.
