ST. LOUIS (AP) — Nearly 2,500 workers at three Boeing defense plants in the Midwest voted Wednesday to ratify a contract that their union says will raise wages an average of 14% over three years and add adjustments by inflation.
The vote by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers came less than two weeks after union members rejected an earlier offer and authorized a strike.
A spokesman for Boeing, based in Arlington, Virginia, said the company was pleased with the outcome and looked forward to its future in the St. Louis area.
The three-year contract takes effect Thursday and will cover employees at Boeing plants in St. Louis and St. Charles, Missouri, and Mascoutah, Illinois. Workers build various types of military aircraft.
The union said the new contract includes a provision from the rejected agreement that requires company contributions of up to 10% to employees’ 401(k) retirement plans, and added an $8,000 lump sum payment that can go to the account. of the employee. It also has improvements for sick leave and paternity leave, and makes no changes to workers’ health insurance plans, according to the union.
The workers rejected an offer from the company on July 24, saying the retirement benefits were not an adequate replacement for the pension plans that had been taken away from them. Boeing made an improved offer over the weekend.
Boeing is best known to the public for its jet planes, but during the first six months of this year it received the most revenue from its defense and space business, about 38% of total revenue.
With labor shortages in many parts of the economy, unions have scored organizing victories this year, including at Amazon, Starbucks and Trader Joe’s.