US aircraft maker Boeing's workers reject contract in overwhelming vote, set to strike

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Over 30,000 employees of the US aircraft maker Boeing were set to strike on Friday, bringing most of the aircraft production to a halt after the company’s staff overwhelmingly rejected a new labor contract.

Workers in the US state of Oregon and the Seattle area in Washington voted 94.6% against a tentative agreement presented Sunday by Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, according to CNBC.

They also voted 96% in favor of a strike, significantly surpassing the two-thirds majority needed to initiate a work stoppage.

“We strike at midnight,” IAM District 751 President Jon Holden announced during a press conference revealing the vote results.

Holden described it as an "unfair labor practice strike," claiming that factory workers had faced "discriminatory conduct, coercive questioning, unlawful surveillance and we had unlawful promise of benefits."

He added that Boeing must negotiate in good faith.

Boeing did not provide an immediate response.

The proposed agreement offered 25% wage increases and enhancements to health-care and retirement benefits, though the union had pushed for raises of around 40%. Workers criticized the deal, arguing it did not adequately address rising living costs.