IAM Union District 837 has issued a statement disputing Boeing’s recent assertions regarding ongoing mediation efforts in their current labor dispute. The union, representing workers in St. Louis, clarified the timeline of negotiations and responded to claims made by the company.
According to the statement, “While Boeing claims we’ve been engaged in mediation ‘for several weeks,’ that’s simply misleading. The last time we met with the company and the federal mediator was on Sept. 29. Since then, there have been no further mediation sessions.”
The union explained that after the September meeting, it submitted a revised pre-ratification settlement offer through the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS). “Boeing rejected that proposal and instead re-issued the same five-year contract offer that had already been rejected by our membership. They made that same rejected offer contingent on acceptance by a specific deadline, but because it had previously been voted down, it was not brought back for another vote,” the statement said.
The IAM Union also noted its willingness to resume talks: “In good faith, we notified Boeing—through FMCS—that the union remains ready to return to mediation with just 24 hours’ notice. As of today, the company has not provided any dates of availability.”
“Our goal remains to reach a fair agreement that addresses the issues our members have clearly identified. We continue to stand ready to meet at any time to reach a resolution and end this strike,” concluded the union’s statement.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers represents about 600,000 active and retired members across North America in industries including aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, rail, transit, healthcare, automotive, among others.
