Boeing Defense Union Asks Lawmakers to Intervene in Strike

Workers picket outside the Boeing Defense, Space & Security facility in Berkeley, Missouri, on Aug. 4.

(Bloomberg) -- A union representing workers at Boeing Co.’s St. Louis-area defense factories urged US lawmakers from Missouri to intervene and nudge the planemaker to reach a deal.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The US-Canadian Road Safety Gap Is Getting Wider Sunseeking Germans Face Swiss Backlash Over Alpine Holiday Congestion To Head Off Severe Storm Surges, Nova Scotia Invests in ‘Living Shorelines’ Five Years After Black Lives Matter, Brussels’ Colonial Statues Remain For Homeless Cyclists, Bikes Bring an Escape From the Streets

The IAM Union, which represents 3,200 workers currently on strike, said it had written letters to senators and representatives to press Boeing to return to the bargaining table, the group said in a statement on Wednesday.

“We remain ready and willing to listen to any constructive proposals from the union,” Dan Gillian, a Boeing vice president and senior St. Louis site executive, said in an email.

About 3,200 machinists walked off the job earlier this month after members voted down a deal that would have raised wages by 20% and boosted retirement contributions. The union last went on strike in 1996, with the stoppage lasting 99 days.

The action adds pressure to Boeing’s turnaround efforts with the defense and space division contributing about a third of the company’s revenue.

Union members build fighter aircraft such as the F-15, the T-7 training jet, missiles and munitions. They also manufacture components for Boeing’s 777X commercial jets. In March, Boeing won a contract to design and build the US’s next-generation stealth fighter jet, beating out rival Lockheed Martin Corp. for the multi-billion-dollar program dubbed the F-47.

Still, the operation that’s now gone on strike is far smaller than the civil aircraft business that was severely affected late last year by a walkout, which brought manufacturing in the Seattle area to a standstill for weeks and contributed to Boeing selling equity worth almost $24 billion.

(Updates with comment from Boeing in third paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

Americans Are Getting Priced Out of Homeownership at Record Rates Dubai’s Housing Boom Is Stoking Fears of Another Crash Bessent on Tariffs, Deficits and Embracing Trump’s Economic Plan Why It’s Actually a Good Time to Buy a House, According to a Zillow Economist The Electric Pickup Truck Boom Turned Into a Big Bust

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.

View Comments