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Boeing is controversially preparing to replace striking machinists in St. Louis with new permanent employees, intensifying a contract dispute that union leaders say should be resolved at the bargaining table.
Boeing Defense Vice President Dan Gillian told employees: "Today, we’re starting the process to hire permanent replacement workers for manufacturing roles. This will ensure we’re properly staffed to keep supporting our customers."
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), which represents 3,200 members in District 837, has been on strike since August 4. Workers voted 67% to reject the company’s latest four-year proposal.
IAM International President Brian Bryant said Boeing was "doubling down on its mismanagement by saying it plans to hire replacement workers to build military aircraft and equipment, instead of negotiating with their dedicated, generational and skilled workforce."
Production slowdown
The company has used non-union labor to keep assembly lines moving, but Gillian acknowledged during a press briefing that production has slowed on certain programs. He said Boeing would consider "minor adjustments" to the rejected package but not major changes.
Job postings went live on Thursday, with a recruitment fair scheduled for September 16. Gillian noted that new hires would undergo the same training and certification processes as current staff, including security clearances for roles such as final assembly of the F/A-18 fighter.
IAM District 837 President Tom Boelling told Reuters that security clearance typically takes six months to obtain. Boeing has not disclosed whether jobs requiring clearance are part of the current hiring plan.
Federal labor law permits employers to replace strikers permanently, according to Sharon Block, a former National Labor Relations Board member. Boeing spokeswoman Didi VanNierop said union members whose positions are filled "will be added to a recall list until a position for which they are qualified becomes available." Replacement workers can also be laid off as part of a strike-ending agreement, Block pointed out.
Contract dispute intensifies
Boeing has invested billions in expanding facilities in St. Louis for the Air Force’s new F-47A fighter jet program, which it secured earlier this year, and is also competing for the Navy’s F/A-XX contract. Gillian described the striking machinists as "the core that will help us do all of that."
The rejected offer included a 20% general wage increase, faster wage progression, more vacation and sick leave, and a $5,000 ratification bonus. Boeing said the deal represented a 40% average compensation increase across the contract. The company withdrew the signing bonus after rejection.
Union leaders compared the St. Louis package with agreements struck elsewhere. A seven-week strike in Washington and Oregon recently ended with District 751 securing a 38% pay rise and a $12,000 bonus, while Boeing awarded non-union staff in South Carolina the same $12,000 payout.
Bryant said: "It’s a slap in the face to not offer the same to our hard-working, dedicated IAM District 837 membership in the St. Louis area."
