St. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) – About 2,500 Boeing workers are expected to go on strike next month at three plants in the St. Louis after they voted Sunday to reject a contract offer from the plane maker.
The strike is scheduled to begin Aug. 1 at Boeing’s manufacturing facility in St. Louis County. Charles, in the county of St. Louis and Mascoutah, Illinois, after the International Association of Mechanics and Aerospace Workers District 837 union voted against the contract, according to the St. Louis Post-Shipment.
“We cannot accept a contract that is not fair and equitable as this company continues to make billions of dollars each year off the backs of our hardworking members,” the union said.
Boing said in a statement that the Arlington, Virginia-based company is disappointed with the vote, but will now use its “contingency plan to support continued operations in the event of a strike.”
A Boeing spokesman said the company’s contract offer included competitive raises and a generous retirement plan that included Boeing employee contributions to their retirement plan of up to 10 percent of their salary.
Boeing is expected to give an update on its finances this week when it releases its next quarterly earnings report on Wednesday. Earlier this year, Boeing reported a first-quarter loss of $1.2 billion, but last week the company announced that Delta Air Lines had ordered 100 of its 737 jets.
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This story has been corrected to show that Boeing is based in Arlington, Virginia.