Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751 cheer after learning that members rejected a contract offer from Boeing on Oct. 23, 2024, at the IAM union hall in Seattle. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard)
Thousands of Boeing aircraft machinists have rejected a contract offer for the second time in less than two months, meaning a strike that has halted airplane production at the company’s factories around the Puget Sound region for nearly six weeks will go on.
When votes were tallied Wednesday night, 64% of members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers sided against the proposa l. While the contract included wage increases that the union said were in line with what workers were looking for, it did not include pension benefits the machinists have sought to restore.
“We have made tremendous gains with this agreement in many of the areas our members said were important to them, however, we have not achieved enough to meet our members’ demands,” IAM District 751 President Jon Holden said just before announcing the vote result.