Boeing employees who build military aircraft and equipment in the St. Louis area rejected the company’s latest contract offer on Friday, choosing to extend a strike that began more than five weeks ago.
The 3,200 workers are represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837. The union did not say how many members voted on the deal, which would have raised wages 45 percent over five years.
In a statement, the union said that the company’s offer fell short on the size of its signing bonus relative to what other Boeing workers have received. The union also said the contract did not include a big enough increase in retirement benefits.
“Our members in St. Louis have once again shown that they will not settle for Boeing’s half-measures,” Brian Bryant, the international president of the machinists union, said in a statement. “Boeing must start listening to its employees and come back to the table with a meaningful offer that respects the sacrifices and skill of these workers.”
Tensions between Boeing and the workers have been escalating recently. Last week, Boeing said that it planned to hire permanent replacements for some of those who went on strike.
In a statement on Friday, Dan Gillian, a Boeing vice president, said he was “disappointed” by the vote.
“We’ve made clear the overall economic framework of our offer will not change, but we have consistently adjusted the offer based on employee and union feedback to better address their concerns,” he said. “We will continue to execute our contingency plan, including hiring permanent replacement workers, as we maintain support for our customers.”
No further talks are scheduled.
The strike is the first at the St. Louis plants since a nearly 100-day walkout in 1996. Last year, about 33,000 Boeing workers who mostly build commercial planes in the Pacific Northwest went on strike for nearly two months before reaching a deal and returning to work.
Niraj Chokshi is a Times reporter who writes about aviation, rail and other transportation industries.
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