By Boeing workers are to go on strike after they overwhelmingly rejected a tentative deal between union representatives and the plane maker that included a 25% pay rise.
The U.S. West Coast factory workers will walk off the job after 96% voted on Thursday, 12th of September, 1 in favor of a strike, halting production of the planemaker’s strongest-selling jet as it wrestles with chronic output delays and mounting debt.
More than 30,000 workers – who produce planes including the 737 Max and 777 in the Seattle and Portland areas – are set to down their tools from midnight Pacific Time (0700 GMT) on Friday.
The walkout is another setback for the firm, which is facing deepening financial losses as it struggles to repair its reputation after a series of safety issues, including two fatal crashes.
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) members voted 96% in favor of striking and 94.6% to reject the agreement.
“This is about respect, this is about addressing the past, and this is about fighting for our future,” said Jon Holden, who headed the negotiations for IAM, Boeing’s largest union, before announcing the vote result.
It is also a major blow for Boeing’s new chief executive Kelly Ortberg, who was appointed last month with a mission to turn the business around.
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