Over 20,000 Boeing union machinists gathered at T-Mobile Park in Seattle to authorize a potential strike against Boeing if a new contract agreement is not reached by September. The machinists are asking Boeing for higher pay, more generous retirement benefits, including restoring a pension plan, and an end to mandatory overtime. Nearly 100% of machinists voted to authorize a strike. Machinists have not negotiated a new contract in 16 years and feel past concessions have eroded pay and benefits. A strike would significantly impact Boeing's ongoing efforts to recover from production issues and oversight following two fatal 737 MAX crashes.
