SEATTLE 鈥� Boeing machinists voted to on Monday, closing the book on a bruising strike that lasted more than 53 days.
The agreement, which had the backing of the union鈥檚 leadership, was approved by 59% of members who voted.
鈥淭his is a victory,鈥� said Jon Holden, the president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 751, as he announced the results late Monday night at the union鈥檚 hall in Seattle. 鈥淲e can hold our heads high. We all stood strong, and we achieved something that we hadn鈥檛 achieved the last 22 years.鈥�
The deal will bring a 38% wage increase for the union鈥檚 33,000 members 鈥� and a much-needed boost for a company that could desperately use one.
Boeing posted a stunning for the third quarter of the year, one of the worst quarters in the company鈥檚 history. Those disappointing results were partly the result of , which has halted production at Boeing鈥檚 factories in the Pacific Northwest.
But Boeing鈥檚 problems run deeper than that. Even before the strike, the company was dealing with across its commercial aviation operations. The company also announced a $2 billion loss in its defense and .
In a message to employees on Friday, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg encouraged all union members to vote on the proposal.
"It鈥檚 time we all come back together and focus on rebuilding the business and delivering the world鈥檚 best airplanes," Ortberg wrote. "There are a lot of people depending on us."
The machinists union the company鈥檚 first contract offer. Union members also less than two weeks ago, although the margin wasn鈥檛 as wide.
The union was voting for a third time Monday on a contract that was modestly better than Boeing鈥檚 second offer. But this time, the union鈥檚 leaders endorsed the agreement 鈥� and warned that members might end up with less if they didn鈥檛 take it.
鈥淚n every negotiation and strike, there is a point where we have extracted everything that we can in bargaining and by withholding our labor,鈥� the union's leaders said in their statement last week. 鈥淲e are at that point now and risk a regressive or lesser offer in the future.鈥�
Boeing's offer on wages improved from 25% in its initial offer to 38% in the final agreement 鈥� still short of the 40% raise the union initially wanted. Workers will also get a $12,000 ratification bonus.
But there is one key union demand where Boeing has not budged. The machinists want the company to they lost a decade ago, which remains a major source of anger among the union鈥檚 rank and file.
Boeing has said it鈥檚 unwilling to restore the defined benefit pension plan that , though it has offered to increase the company鈥檚 contributions to union members鈥� 401(k) retirement plans.
The Boeing machinists went on strike in 2008, the work stoppage lasted for close to eight weeks, costing the company an estimated $2 billion. The economic damage this time may be even larger.
KUOW's Casey Martin contributed reporting from Seattle, and Joel Rose reported from Washington, D.C.
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