RENTON, Wash. — Nearly 50 days into a strike that has crippled the company's operations, the union representing its machinists and Boeing had a "productive face-to-face" meeting Tuesday, according to the International Association of Machinists District 751.
The union shared an update on social media late Tuesday night, but did not offer any details on where negotiations stand. Last week, machinists voted down a new contract offer from Boeing by 64%.
"Acting Secretary Su returned to Seattle Monday night and will be heading out today. During her trip, she hosted the company and union at a DOL office in Seattle to support continued talks," a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) spokesperson told KING 5 on Wednesday morning.
KING 5 spoke with a man, Matt O'Brien, on Tuesday who explained why he is striking for the fifth time against Boeing.
“I think if they bring up our sign-in bonus to ten grand, raise our AMP and raise our VIP for the young kids I think it will pass but they’re not doing that," O'Brien said. “We’re here for the younger generation to keep it fair.”
Boeing, meanwhile, is trying to raise up to $19 billion in a stock offering. Last week, the company reported a third-quarter loss of more than $6 billion. Boeing hasn’t had a profitable year since 2018, and these numbers represented the second-worst quarter in the manufacturer’s history.
In addition to delays caused by the FAA's grounding of the 737 MAX 9 earlier this year, the strike is now causing more issues.
Southwest Airlines reported that it initially requested 85 aircraft from Boeing for 2024 and said they are now expecting just 20 of those. The airline says that 19 of the 20 have been delivered so far.
American Airlines said Boeing makes up about 1% of its fleet. The company said it is not expecting any more 737 deliveries this year and expects one more 787, which are produced in South Carolina.