Boeing, union to return to bargaining table with fed mediators

Boeing and its striking union are set to resume contract negotiations Friday after talks broke down last week.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers on Wednesday said it would return to the bargaining table Friday with the help of federal mediators.

“The union is ready for this opportunity to bring forward the issues that members have identified as critical to reaching an agreement,” the union said.

Over 32,000 unionized Boeing workers in Seattle and Portland, Oregon, walked off the job Sept. 13, hours after overwhelmingly rejecting a contract proposal.

While IAM and Boeing’s negotiators met twice the following week, both bargaining sessions were deemed unproductive by the union.

Boeing offered an unnegotiated contract proposal to workers Monday, but IAM leadership said an internal survey of union members showed they would reject the offer. The proposal included a 30% wage increase, a $6,000 signing bonus and the reinstatement of performance-based bonuses.

During negotiations, the union has demanded at least a 40% wage boost over four years.

The strike, Boeing’s first since 2008, will hurt the company’s bottom line. The company has already halted production on the top-selling 737 MAX and issued temporary furloughs to thousands of nonunion employees.