Striking workers at Boeing Defense will vote on the company’s latest offer this week after three months on the picket lines.
The manufacturer’s proposal includes a $6,000 ratification bonus but not the restricted stock units and retention bonus that were part of previous offers. Boeing said it removed those incentives to “move more cash up front.”
Other than this change, the tentative contract is virtually identical to past offers rejected by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837, according to Reuters.
The vote will take place on Thursday, between 8 a.m. and noon CST, in Bridgeton, Missouri, and Mascoutah, Illinois.
Over 3,200 unionized Boeing Defense workers walked off the job on August 4 after voting down a proposed four-year contract. IAM leaders at the time said their membership wanted pay commensurate with their skill and experience.
The most recent contract vote, held in late October, failed 51 percent to 49 percent, according to public radio station KWMU in St. Louis. The union made a counterproposal, but Boeing rejected it.
In a statement, Boeing Defense president and CEO Steve Parker said the company wants to get the situation resolved before the holidays.
“As you know, we have already hired permanent replacement workers as we moved into the next phase of our contingency plan and are fully staffed in some areas,” Parker said. “Despite that, we will guarantee that all IAM 837 members will be returned to work if this offer is ratified. No one would be displaced. This is not something we will be able to guarantee moving forward.
“Everything else from our previous offer remains the same, including more wage growth for those of you at max, and more vacation and sick leave for everyone. That means the average base pay will go from $75,000 to $109,000 a year. And there’s the potential for even more value with overtime.”
If the union members accept Boeing’s offer, they would return to work on November 17.
The striking employees are based at plants in St. Louis and St. Charles, Missouri, and Mascoutah. They help assemble and maintain aircraft like the F-15 and F/A-18, and support Boeing’s missile systems.
The work stoppage has slowed deliveries of certain military aircraft, including the F-15EX multirole fighter jet.
