About 2,500 Boeing workers on strike after deal rejected

Street. CHARLES, Missouri (AP) – Nearly 2,500 Boeing workers are expected to go on strike next month at three plants in the St. Louis area after they voted Sunday to reject a contract offer from the aircraft manufacturer.

The strike is set to begin August 1 at Boeing manufacturing facilities in St. Charles County, St. Louis County and Mascotta, Illinois, after the Union of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union 837 voted on the contract, according to To St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

“We cannot accept an unfair and equitable contract, as this company continues to make billions of dollars every year on the backs of our hardworking members,” the union said.

Boeing said in a statement that the Arlington, Virginia-based company was disappointed with the vote, but will now use its “contingency plan to support continued operations in the event of a strike.”

A Boeing spokesperson said the company’s contract offer included competitive increases and a generous retirement plan. Boeing included an equal contribution for employees to their retirement plan of up to 10% of their pay.

Boeing is expected to provide an update on its financial conditions this week when it releases its next quarterly earnings report on Wednesday. Earlier this year, Boeing reported a loss of $1.2 billion in the first quarter, but just last week, the company announced that Delta Air Lines had ordered 100 of its 737 planes.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Boeing is based in Arlington, Virginia.