The union representing 33,000 striking Boeing factory workers on the US West Coast said the latest mediation meeting with the planemaker has finished without reaching an agreement once again.
The initial talks to end the machinists’ strike “broke off” on September 27, 2024, after which the US planemaker removed health insurance for the striking workers. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the union representing the striking workers, criticized this decision, saying that “Boeing executives made an error”.
On October 7, 2024, the IAM released a statement saying that it had spent the day in discussion with Boeing and federal mediators to continue contract negotiations. However, “there was no meaningful movement to report”.
“We will be back at it, continuing to push the critical issues you’ve told us matter most. We remain focused on fighting for the priorities of the membership,” the union said.
The next meeting sessions are set for October 8, 2024, at 09:00 local time and October 10, 2024, at 16:30 local time. The machinists’ union said it is willing to continue talks with the company, either directly or through a mediator, to end the strike that is nearing its fourth week.
“We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our represented employees and negotiating in good faith, and want to reach an agreement as soon as possible,” Boeing said in its official website on October 1, 2024.
The union’s conditions for ending the strike include a 40% pay raise and the return of a pension plan that was taken away around 10 years ago.
On September 24, 2024, the union turned down what Boeing defined as the “best and final contract offer,” which proposed a 30% pay raise for employees over the next four years along with extra bonuses.