Boeing and the Machinists union, which represents 33,000 of its employees on the West Coast, have reached a tentative deal that could avoid a strike that had been set to start this Friday.

Before it will take effect, the deal would need the approval of the rank-and-file union members who build commercial jets. But leadership of the union praised the tentative deal and said it achieved the union’s goals.

“You sent us here to stand strong for your priorities, and we are proud to have done so,” the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said Sunday in a statement on its official website.

Boeing said the agreement provides raises totaling 25% over the four-year life of the contract, improved contributions to 401(k) plans, reduced employee contributions for health insurance and increased time off.

The deal represents Boeing’s biggest pay raise for union members.

“We’ve heard what’s important to you for the new contract. And we have reached a tentative agreement with the union on a historic offer that takes care of you and your family,” Stephanie Pope, CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplane unit, said in a statement.

The deal also includes increased job security for union members with a promise to build the next new airplane at one of the union-represented plants in the Puget Sound region. Boeing has one nonunion plant in South Carolina, where it builds the 787 Dreamliner. In the last two contract agreements with Boeing, the union had to accept concessions such as an end to a traditional pension plan and increased employee contributions to health care, in turn for the company dropping a threat to build the then-planned 737 Max and the 777X jets at new nonunion plants.

The contract covers production workers who build Boeing’s commercial jets at three factories in the Seattle area, as well as about 1,200 workers at a Boeing’s parts plant in Portland, Oregon. The rank-and-file members will have the chance to vote Thursday on the tentative agreement and a no vote could possibly lead to a strike. That has happened in some recent labor agreements at other companies, but the union leadership is recommending that members vote in favor of the agreement.

Continue reading the full article here – https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/08/business/boeing-reaches-deal-with-union-to-avoid-strike/index.html

IAM 751 Contract Proposal Summary – https://www.iam751.org/2024Proposal/SummaryMachinistsReachHistoricTentativeAgreement.pdf