Boeing’s Next Big Problem Is A 32,000-Strong Strike

Boeing has faced all kinds of bad news in the last six years, with almost nothing but problems. Later this month, it could add a strike by 32,000 workers to its list of woes, Chris Isidore reported for CNN.

Without a new contract, the workers who build its planes in Washington state are set to start the first strike at the company in 16 years. I Photo: The Boeing Company Facebook

The contract between Boeing and the International Association of Machinists is due to expire at 11:59 p.m. PT on September 12. Without a new contract, the workers who build its planes in Washington state are set to start the first strike at the company in 16 years.

According to the head of the union local, the chances of reaching a deal don’t look good right now.

“We’re far apart on all the main issues—wages, health care, retirement, time off,” Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, told CNN this past week. “We continue to work through that, but it’s been a tough slog to get through.”

It’s just the latest in a series of serious and high-profile problems for the planemaker.

The company has so far faced fatal crashes traced to a design flaw in its best-selling jet, accusations that it prioritized profits and production speed over quality and safety, plummeting aircraft sales, an agreement to plead guilty to criminal charges for deceiving regulators, and massive financial losses covered by soaring levels of debt.

Both sides say they want to reach a deal without a strike. But the anger of rank-and-file union members over recent contract concessions and difficulties at the once-proud company could make reaching that deal in the short time remaining a tall order.