Thousands of Boeing Workers on Strike Over Labor Agreement

Thousands of Boeing workers at three manufacturing plants in the US went on strike overnight, rejecting a modified four-year labor agreement that included a 20% wage increase. The strike involves 3,200 workers at Boeing facilities in St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, and Mascoutah, Illinois. The union cited "enough is enough" as the reason for the strike, and Boeing warned that it was prepared for a strike after workers rejected the latest offer.

Overnight, thousands of Boeing workers went on strike at three manufacturing plants in the US, rejecting a modified four-year labor agreement that included a 20% wage increase. The strike involves 3,200 workers at Boeing facilities in St. Louis, St. Charles, Missouri, and Mascoutah, Illinois [1]. The union cited "enough is enough" as the reason for the strike, and Boeing warned that it was prepared for a strike after workers rejected the latest offer.

The affected facilities are crucial to the production of key military aircraft, including the F-15 Eagle and F/A-18 Hornet, as well as components tied to the broader munitions supply chain [2]. This strike is the second major labor action for Boeing in less than a year, following a seven-week strike by 30,000 machinists in the northwestern US last fall [1].

Boeing's St. Louis facility, as the company's primary military aircraft manufacturing hub, is also expected to be a central site for building the new sixth-generation F-47 fighter [1]. The strike is likely to delay the rollout of this advanced fighter jet, a cornerstone of plans to cement future US air superiority [2].

Boeing's CEO, Kelly Ortberg, downplayed the effects of the strike during an earnings call last Tuesday, stating that its scale was "much, much less" than last year's [1]. However, the strike is yet another challenge for Boeing, which is trying to turn around its reputation in the years after two of its 737 Max passenger airliners crashed—one in 2018 and another in 2019 [1].

More recently, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flown by Air India crashed in June, killing all but one of at least 242 people on board and another 19 people on the ground [1]. Additionally, four flight attendants filed a lawsuit against Boeing over a 737 Max incident in January 2024, when a door plug blew out midflight [1].

Despite the challenges, Boeing's defense, space, and security unit reported stable results for the second quarter amid heightened demand from the Pentagon and allied governments for advanced weaponry [3]. The strike, however, could potentially disrupt this momentum.

References:
[1] https://www.businessinsider.com/thousands-boeing-workers-make-f-16-fa-18-fighters-strike-2025-8
[2] https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr2=p:fp,m:tn,ct:all,kt:org,pg:1,stl:txt,b:&fr=fp-tts&p=Boeing+Strike
[3] https://seekingalpha.com/news/4477197-boeing-faces-strike-in-st-louis-area-as-defense-machinists-reject-contract