In mid-March, Boeing opened negotiations with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751, the union representing 32,000 of its workers in Washington state. The last full contract negotiation was in 2008, and a number of extensions have kept it in place since. Workers went on strike for eight weeks before an agreement was reached.
Some analysts have tied Boeing’s recent issues to its employees being underpaid and overworked. The union is seeking a 40% raise for workers over the next three years, alongside overtime rule other benefit changes. The Financial Times reports that the union is also seeking a seat on Boeing’s board.
“We have to save this company from itself,” district president Jon Holden told the newspaper.