A major strike has come to an end after a tentative deal was reached.
“The local machinists union has reached a tentative agreement with Boeing St. Louis.
Members of IAM District 837 have been on strike for over a month after rejecting two contracts from the company.
The five-year tentative agreement includes a 45% average general wage increase and a $4,000 bonus for ratifying the contract, Boeing St. Louis Vice President of Air Dominance Dan Gillian said Wednesday afternoon.
Gillian said that after the union and the company had an unsuccessful meeting with a federal mediator Tuesday afternoon, they continued discussions that evening and into Wednesday morning.
‘Those conversations were productive,’ Gillian said. ‘Certainly bringing the ratification bonus back was important.’
A previous contract proposal by the company covered four years with a 40% general wage increase and no signing bonus. The contract that was voted down Aug. 3 included a $5,000 ratification bonus that was later removed. This was one of the main concerns of union members.
Another major concern from the previous offer was that employees at the top of the pay scale did not receive the same wage increase as other employees and received 5% lump sums in the second and third years of the contract rather than a wage increase.
With the modified proposal, the highest-paid employees will receive a general wage increase in years one, three and five, and the lump sum payments in years two and four, Gillian said.
All other elements of the previous contract remain unchanged.”
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