Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Urge Boeing to Negotiate in Good Faith as IAM Union St. Louis Defense Strike Enters Third Month
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4, 2025 – Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are urging Boeing President and CEO Kelly Ortberg to negotiate in good faith and reach a fair agreement with more than 3,200 striking members of IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) District 837 in the St. Louis area who have been on strike for three months.
In a letter to Ortberg, the Senators on the Armed Service Committee are urging Boeing to “bring this strike to an end with an expedited resolution of the negotiation and the successful ratification of a proposal that pays IAM Union District 837 members what they are worth while ensuring that Boeing is able to fulfill its mission and ensure that the men and women of our military have what they need.”
The Senators also expressed deep concern over Boeing’s recent decision to replace striking workers with permanent replacements, warning that such actions could have serious consequences for product quality, safety, and national security.
“If you choose to proceed with replacement workers to complete these projects, you will be sacrificing the needs of the U.S. military in order to benefit the corporation’s bottom line,” wrote the Senators. “Rather than proceeding down this dangerous path, we urge you to rededicate yourself to meeting the needs of your current workers, who are a fount of experience, knowledge and professionalism. Now is the time to make a deal. Our military’s effectiveness and our country’s national security depends on it.”
The Senate letter follows a bipartisan group of 17 members of the House Armed Services Committee, who signed a letter urging Boeing to return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith.
The IAM Union has estimated that the difference in added costs between the union’s latest proposal — which Boeing summarily rejected without even offering a counter — is approximately $8 million more over four years when compared to the first four years of the company’s latest five-year offer. At the same time, Boeing has handed out $100 million in golden parachutes to failed CEOs, reported $23 billion in third-quarter revenue, and sits on a $76 billion defense backlog.
IAM District 837 members build and support the production of the F-15EX, F/A-18, T-7A, MQ-25, and the future F-47 fighter jet.
“We are deeply grateful to the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee for standing up for our members in St. Louis and demanding accountability from Boeing,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “The Senators recognize that our members’ skill, dedication, and experience are vital to our national security. Their call for Boeing to negotiate in good faith sends a powerful message that protecting America’s military readiness begins with respecting the people who build it.”
U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) have also voiced support for IAM Union members during a Senate HELP Committee hearing where an District 837 member testified about Boeing’s bad-faith tactics. In addition, Reps. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and the Congressional Labor Caucus have joined calls for Boeing to bargain fairly and protect good-paying jobs in the St. Louis region.
For more than 13 weeks, IAM Union members have stood strong on the picket lines while Boeing continues to reject fair and responsible union proposals that would bring the strike to an end. The IAM Union has continued to present reasonable, good-faith contract offers that ensure Boeing can maintain the skilled workforce needed to meet its military delivery obligations.
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.
The post Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Urge Boeing to Negotiate in Good Faith as IAM Union St. Louis Defense Strike Enters Third Month appeared first on IAM Union.
Recent Comments