File photo: The Boeing logo is seen before the opening of the 55th Paris International Air Show on June 13, 2025, at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France.
Benoît Tessier | Reuters
Approximately 3,200 boeing Defense workers were voting Thursday on a new contract that could end a more than three-month strike that has delayed production of the manufacturer’s F-15 fighter jets and other programs.
Workers rejected an earlier proposal, with the union claiming the proposal failed to address their concerns.
The contract workers are voting on Thursday includes a 24% pay increase over five years and an upfront bonus of $3,000 to $6,000, but removes Boeing’s previous offer of $4,000 to be paid later.
St. Louis-based workers represented by International Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 went on strike on August 4, the first shutdown since 1996.
Defense accounted for about 30% of Boeing’s $65.5 billion in revenue in the first nine months of 2025.
Morgan Stanley CEO Kelly Ortberg said at the Morgan Stanley Investor Conference on September 11, “The air strikes have impacted our fighter production, so some of our F-15 and F-18 modified aircraft and munitions remain in service.”
Ortberg said last month that Boeing brought in workers other than IAM representatives during a strike on some products.
If the new contract is ratified, union members could return as early as Sunday.
The creation of the defense force comes about a year after contract negotiations last year failed and more than 32,000 unionized machinists who make commercial aircraft walked off the job for seven weeks.
