Boeing machinists go on strike

Boeing factory workers went on strike early Friday morning after overwhelmingly rejecting a new union contract with the company.

About 33,000 machinists went on strike shortly after midnight on the West Coast after the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union announced 94.6 percent of workers had voted to reject the proposal, and 96 percent approved the stoppage.

The work stoppage puts financial strain on the storied airplane maker, which has been struggling to repair its reputation after the door plug of a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight in January, prompting regulatory action and congressional scrutiny.

Boeing President Kelly Ortberg, who took over the company early last month, sent a message to workers Wednesday urging them to accept the contract, which had included a 25 percent wage increase over the next four years.

“For Boeing, it is no secret that our business is in a difficult period, in part due to our own mistakes in the past,” Ortberg wrote.

“I know that we can get back on track, but a strike would put our shared recovery in jeopardy, further eroding trust with our customers and hurting our ability to determine our future together.”

Boeing said in a statement early Friday morning that the “message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with IAM leadership was not acceptable to the members.”

“We remain committed to resetting our relationship with our employees and the union, and we are ready to get back to the table to reach a new agreement,” Boeing said.

The Hill has reached out to the IAM for comment.