ST LOUIS: Boeing Defence will hire permanent replacement workers for striking machinists who assemble military aircraft and munitions in the St Louis area.
Company vice president Dan Gillian announced the hiring process for manufacturing roles in a Thursday message to employees, stating this would ensure proper staffing to support customers.
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers leaders immediately urged Boeing to resume negotiations rather than replace their skilled workforce.
Union international president Brian Bryant called the move another mismanagement example, noting Boeing plans to hire replacements instead of negotiating with dedicated workers.
Boeing has used non-union employees to maintain production since the strike began on August 4, when 3,200 IAM District 837 members rejected the company’s four-year contract offer by 67%.
Production has slowed on some programmes despite these measures, according to Gillian’s Wednesday press briefing comments.
The company remains open only to minor adjustments rather than substantial changes to the rejected contract offer.
Job openings will be posted immediately with a job fair scheduled for September 16, as confirmed in the message shared with Reuters.
New manufacturing employees will undergo identical training and certification requirements as all Boeing teammates.
Some positions require security clearances, particularly those involving final assembly work on the F/A-18 fighter jet.
IAM District 837 president Tom Boelling noted security clearances typically take approximately six months to obtain.
Boeing declined to comment on clearance requirements or processing timelines for new hires.
Federal labour laws permit companies to permanently replace workers striking over contract negotiations, according to Harvard Law School labour professor Sharon Block.
Boeing Defence spokeswoman Didi VanNierop stated replaced union members would be added to a recall list for future qualified positions.
Replacement workers can be laid off as part of any strike-ending agreement between union members and employer, Block clarified.
Boeing has invested billions expanding St Louis manufacturing facilities and engineering capabilities for the new F-47A US Air Force fighter jet contract won this year.
The company also competes for the US Navy’s new F/A-XX fighter programme, which Gillian said striking machinists would help deliver.
The rejected St Louis contract offer included a 20% general wage increase, faster progression, more vacation and sick leave, plus a $5,000 ratification bonus subsequently withdrawn.
Boeing claims the offer represented a 40% average compensation increase over the contract duration.
A seven-week strike by IAM District 751 members in Washington and Oregon previously ended with a 38% wage increase and $12,000 signing bonus.
Boeing subsequently gave non-union South Carolina workers identical $12,000 bonuses, which Bryant called a slap in the face to St Louis members. – Reuters
