Boeing defense employees approve recent contract, ending greater than 3-month strike

Boeing defense employees approved on Thursday on a brand new contract that can end a greater than three-month strike that has delayed the manufacturer’s production of F-15 fighter jets and other programs.

The employees rejected previous offers, with their union saying the proposals failed to handle concerns.

The contract proposal the roughly 3,200 employees voted on Thursday includes 24% wage increases over five years in addition to a $6,000 up-front bonus, up from $3,000, though it removes a previous Boeing proposal for $4,000 in payments afterward. That may bring average base pay from $75,000 to $109,000 over the contract, Boeing had said.

The mostly St. Louis-based employees, represented by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Staff District 837, went on strike on Aug. 4, their first stoppage since 1996.

“We’re pleased with what our members have fought for together and are able to get back to constructing the world’s most advanced military aircraft,” IAM District 837 said in a press release Thursday.

Boeing’s defense unit accounted for about 30% of the $65.5 billion in sales the corporate brought in through the first nine months of 2025.

“We’re pleased with the outcomes and look ahead to bringing our full team back together on Nov. 17 to support our customers,” Boeing said.

“The strike impacted our fighter production, so F-15, F-18 mods in addition to a few of our munitions work,” CEO Kelly Ortberg said at a Morgan Stanley investor conference on Sept. 11.

Boeing brought in non-IAM-represented employees through the strike for a few of its products, Ortberg said last month.

The union employees will return to Boeing factories again as early as Sunday.

The defense unit employees went on strike a couple of yr after greater than 32,000 unionized machinists who construct industrial aircraft walked off the job for seven weeks after failed contract talks last yr.