Boeing's offer for striking workers met with disapproval from union

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - Boeing's recent "final offer" for its striking workers, which includes a 30% salary increase over four years, has been met with disapproval from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM).

The union, which has been on strike since Sept. 13, expressed its frustration on the X platform on Tuesday.

The IAM stated that Boeing's decision to send the proposal directly to all members and the media without prior communication was a disrespectful move.

“While your Negotiating Team was still reviewing the details, Boeing took it upon itself to disrespect our entire Union,” the statement read. “This offer was not negotiated with your Union; it was thrown at us without any discussion.”

The union described Boeing's proposal as a "non-negotiated offer" and criticized the company for its direct dealing tactics, which they argue undermine the negotiation process and attempt to bypass the union.

They recalled that mediation broke down on Sept. 18 after Boeing refused to make an offer addressing the priorities of the membership. “This proposal does not go far enough to address your concerns, and Boeing has missed the mark,” the IAM asserted.

Boeing announced that the proposal would be put to a vote on Sept. 27; however, IAM officials argued that there was insufficient time to meet with workers, leading to the assertion that no vote would take place.

The IAM previously rejected Boeing's initial raise offer on Sept. 13, deeming it inadequate and below the 40% increase they sought, which prompted the strike.

In response to the strike decision, Boeing indicated its readiness to return to the negotiation table to reach a new agreement.

The current strike recalls the lengthy 2008 strike, which lasted eight weeks and cost Boeing approximately $100 million per day.

Boeing is reportedly in a worse financial position now than it was in 2008, having lost $27 billion since the crashes of its best-selling “737 Max” passenger planes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019.

Despite declining revenue and increasing debt, the company holds a significant backlog of orders valued at over $500 billion.