Striking defense workers at Boeing vote on new contract

Nearly 3,200 Boeing Defense workers were voting Thursday on a new contract that could end a strike that has lasted more than three months and has delayed the manufacturer’s production of the F-15 fighter jet and other programs.

The workers rejected previous offers, and their union said the proposals failed to address concerns.

The contract proposal workers are voting on Thursday includes 24% pay increases over five years as well as a $6,000 upfront bonus, up from $3,000, though it gets rid of Boeing’s previous proposal to pay $4,000 later.

The St. Louis-based workers, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837, went on strike Aug. 4, their first walkout since 1996.

Boeing’s defense unit accounted for about 30% of Boeing’s sales of $65.5 billion during the first nine months of 2025.

“The strike impacted our fighter production, so modifications to the F-15 and F-18 as well as some of our munitions are operational,” Kelly Ortberg, CEO of Morgan Stanley, said at a Morgan Stanley investor conference on Sept. 11.

Ortberg said last month that Boeing brought in workers not represented by IAM during the strike for some of its products.

If the new contract is approved, unionized workers will return as early as Sunday.

The defense unit comes about a year after more than 32,000 unionized mechanics who build commercial aircraft walked off the job for seven weeks after contract talks failed last year.