TALKS are set to resume next week on a new labour contract covering some 33,000 striking Seattle-area Boeing employees, both sides said Friday.
As the strike entered its fourth week, the union said the talks under a federal mediator would resume on Monday at 9.00 am, according to the website of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), District 751.
“This meeting is another critical opportunity to push for the priorities of our membership,” the IAM said. “We will continue to fight relentlessly for the issues that matter most to you.”
Workers in the Pacific Northwest region walked off the job on Sept 13 after overwhelmingly voting down a contract offer, effectively shuttering assembly plants for the 737 MAX and 777.
Boeing’s most recent offer, released publicly on Sept 23, included a wage hike of 30 per cent and the reinstatement of an annual bonus.
But the union slammed the manoeuvre, criticising the company for releasing it publicly without giving union leadership time to comment.
In a message to employees Friday, Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg confirmed the Monday talks, saying “a resolution with the IAM stands as a priority for me.” AFP
