Union leader calls on Boeing CEO to come to bargaining table after health care cut

Boeing’s striking union called on CEO Kelly Ortberg to get more involved in ongoing contract negotiations as the strike enters its third week.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers blasted Boeing’s decision to cut health benefits for its members and urged Mr. Ortberg to come to the bargaining table. 

“There is no reason the health benefits question could not have been punted on to allow more time for negotiations at the table,” IAM President Brian Bryant said in a statement Tuesday. “It’s time for the new CEO to truly engage at the proposal-based level and to take the reins from his subordinates who are fumbling critical decisions like this one.”

Contract talks between IAM leadership and Boeing broke down last week after the union rejected the company’s “best and final” offer, including a 30% pay raise over four years. With no contract talks scheduled, thousands of striking workers are left without company health coverage, which expired on Monday.

The union has asked its membership to look for health coverage alternatives.

More than 30,000 IAM members walked off the job on Sept. 13, putting significant strain on Boeing’s bottom line. The strike, the company’s first since 2008, has halted production on Boeing’s top-selling planes and resulted in thousands of furloughs for non-union workers. 

The union is demanding a 40% pay raise over the contract period as well as the reinstatement of a defined-benefit pension plan.

The strike is also the first real test for Mr. Ortberg, who took the reins from departing chief Rockwell Collins in August. Mr. Ortberg inherited a company in the throes of controversy, facing multiple federal investigations after a door plug blew off a Boeing 737 Max 9 in mid-flight in January.