Key Points and Summary – Over 3,200 machinists at Boeing’s military aircraft facilities in the St. Louis area went on strike Monday after rejecting a contract offer.
-The strike, the first by this specific union since 1996, impacts production of the F-15 and F/A-18 and raises questions about potential delays to the next-generation F-47 fighter program.
-While Boeing’s CEO has expressed confidence in managing the disruption with a contingency plan, a labor expert cited in the report suggests the high-value F-47 contract and President Trump’s political interests could lead to a swift resolution or White House intervention.
Boeing Strike: Impact on F-47 NGAD Fighter?
Workers at Boeing’s military aircraft facilities in Missouri and Illinois, where the defense manufacturer builds the F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet jets, and where the building of the forthcoming F-47 is expected to take place, went on strike Monday, per Business Insider.
More than 3,200 workers, members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, have gone out on strike.
“IAM District 837 members have spoken loud and clear, they deserve a contract that reflects their skill, dedication, and the critical role they play in our nation’s defense,” IAM District 837 Directing Business Representative Tom Boelling said in a statement released by the union Monday. “We stand shoulder to shoulder with these working families as they fight for fairness and respect on the job.”
“Our union is built on democracy, and our members have every right to demand a contract worthy of their contributions,” IAM International President Brian Bryant said in the same release. “We will be there on the picket lines, ensuring Boeing hears the collective power of working people.”
Negotiations had taken place through July 27, and the strike began following a weeklong “cooling-off” period, Business Insider said.
“We’re disappointed our employees rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth and resolved their primary issue on alternative work schedules,” Dan Gillian, vice president and general manager of Boeing’s air dominance division, said, according to Business Insider.
“We are prepared for a strike and have fully implemented our contingency plan to ensure our non-striking workforce can continue supporting our customers,” Gillian also said, according to CNBC.
Per CNBC, it’s the first strike by that particular union since 1996.
Will It Delay the F-47?
One question is whether the strike will delay production of the new F-47, just a few months after a delay was announced in its expected completion date, due to a delay in the engines being built for the next-generation fighter jet.
Whether the delays persist depends on how long the strike ultimately lasts.
According to Business Insider, Boeing faced a previous strike last fall involving machinists in the Northwestern U.S. That strike ended up lasting seven weeks and resulted in 38 percent raises for the company’s commercial airplane factory workers.
“I wouldn’t worry too much about the implications of the strike. We’ll manage our way through that,” Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said last week on the company’s quarterly earnings call, about the strike that began Monday.
Will Trump Step Up?
In March, Boeing received a contract worth an estimated $20 billion to build the F-47.
Michael Duff, a labor expert with the Wefel Center for Employment Law at St. Louis University School of Law, told NPR last week that the big contract could incentivize the company to try to end the strike quickly- and that the White House could intervene in the meantime.
“It seems unlikely to me that the president would simply be quiet in the face of a labor dispute like this. I think the president would exert as much pressure as it’s currently thought he could, and then maybe try to exert more pressure than that,” Duff told NPR. “Those are likely the types of the things weighing in the minds of the union leadership. They may be thinking, ‘We don’t really want to poke this bear.'”
The New York Times reported in late July that Boeing has emerged as a “winner” in the president’s trade wars, at least so far, with some countries agreeing to buy jets from the company as part of deals.
“The aerospace company has received a steady stream of new orders as part of trade deals between the United States and other countries. These sales could be a boon for Boeing as it emerges from years of bruising crises. They also allow Mr. Trump to claim that his unconventional trade policies are helping American manufacturing,” the Times said in their analysis.
“Orders for hundreds of Boeing jets have been announced in deals with Indonesia and Japan this month, as well as Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar earlier in the year.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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