Striking Boeing employees spurned a tentative labor deal struck between the aircraft maker and union leadership, continuing a costly work stoppage that has halted production of the company's flagship 737 MAX aircraft, along with its 767 and 777 widebody programs.
Up to 64pc of factory workers backed by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) on Wednesday voted to reject the company's offer, whichpromised a 35pc general wage increase spread over four years and increased company retirement account contributions.
That pay raise, while an improvement over Boeing's first offer of 25pc, ultimately fell short of the 40pc increase sought by workers. Another sticking point centered around the return of employees' pension plans, which was not included in the latest proposal.
Boeing had no comment on the vote's outcome.
Ending the strike has been the priority of new Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg, who assumed the leadership position in August. The five-week work stoppage likely has cost the company $4.5bn based on the latest estimates from Anderson Economic Group and has forced Boeing to delay its goal of increasing 737 MAX build rates to 38/month by the end of the year. The company reported a third quarter loss of $6.2bn on revenues of $17.8bn.
The strike's continuance also will exacerbate slowdowns within Boeing's supply chain, which "it turned off in many cases" because of the labor action. The company confirmed it had stopped shipments from certain suppliers, effectively shutting them down and forcing some to announce furloughs — including at its shipset supplier Spirit Aerosystems.
Boeing is keeping other suppliers running "hot," either because the company felt some were behind on shipments or because risks were too great to shut them down. That latter group likely includes titanium melters, whom Boeing wants to keep operating at high levels to meet demand requirements for when the aerospace manufacturer increases ramp rates starting in 2025.
Still, several market participants within the titanium value chain have expressed concerns to Argus that an extended strike could disrupt future scrap generation in the US, saying there remains enough inventoried material in the pipeline to cover near-term demand.
It remains to be seen when negotiations between Boeing and union leadership will resume. The most recent round of talks were mediated by Julie Su, the acting secretary of the US Labor Department.
