IAM Union District 837 has responded to recent statements by Boeing regarding ongoing mediation efforts in their contract dispute. The union, which represents workers at Boeing’s St. Louis facility, issued a statement disputing Boeing’s characterization of the mediation process.
“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.
“Following that meeting, the union submitted a modified version of our 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.
“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.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union) represents about 600,000 active and retired members in industries such as aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, rail, transit, healthcare, and automotive across North America.
