"Enough Is Enough": Boeing Fighter Jet Workers Begin Strike
Update (0635ET):
More than 3,200 union members who assemble Boeing's fighter jets across multiple plants in the St. Louis area and Illinois went on strike earlier this morning, after voting on Sunday to reject a modified four-year labor deal with the defense company. This marks the union's first strike since 1996.
"STRIKE ALERT: 3,200 highly-skilled IAM Union members at Boeing went on strike at midnight because enough is enough," the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 837 (IAM District 837) wrote on X around 0200 ET.
🚨 STRIKE ALERT: 3,200 highly-skilled IAM Union members at Boeing went on strike at midnight because enough is enough.
— IAM Union (@IAM_Union) August 4, 2025
This is about respect and dignity, not empty promises. https://t.co/2mRlPkmOMm #UnionStrong
"We're disappointed our employees in St. Louis rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth," Dan Gillian, Boeing vice president and general manager of the St. Louis facilities, told Reuters in a statement.
Important to note: IAM District 837 workers assemble Boeing's F-15 and F/A-18 fighters, the T-7 trainer, and the MQ-25.
In markets, Boeing shares traded flat in premarket trading in New York. We suspect investors will pay more attention if the strike drags on. The last one in 1996 lasted 99 days.
* * *
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 837, representing 3,200 Boeing defense workers across Missouri and Illinois and affiliated with the AFL–CIO/CLC, has rejected a modified four-year labor deal with Boeing. As a result, for the first time since 1996, a strike will begin at midnight, impacting operations at key fighter jet plants.
"IAM District 837 members have spoken loud and clear, they deserve a contract that reflects their skill, dedication, and the critical role they play in our nation's defense," IAM District 837 Directing Business Representative Tom Boelling stated in a press release, adding, "We stand shoulder to shoulder with these working families as they fight for fairness and respect on the job."
The 3,200 machinists were in a week-long federally mandated "cooling-off" period after rejecting Boeing's initial labor contract last Sunday. By Friday, Boeing presented a modified offer that included a 20% pay boost, raising average annual pay from $75,000 to $102,600, along with other perks, including a $5,000 signing bonus.
For some context, the last time IAM District 837 went on strike was in 1996, a labor action that lasted 99 days. There's no telling how long the current stoppage will last, but it will undoubtedly impact operations at the F-15, F/A-18, and cutting-edge missile and defense technologies plants.
The timing of the strike comes as the world is on fire and deepening into a bipolar state. We asked a very simple question early last week:
One must ask whether foreign adversaries, as part of their hybrid warfare campaign to implode the US from within, have exploited this union in an attempt to strike a critical node in America's defense manufacturing hub.
- Attacking Critical Nodes? US Fighter Jet Factories At Risk Of Labor Strike By Democrat-Aligned Union
Indeed, the heads of IAM District 837 were pro-globalist Joe Biden...
It's not far-fetched to suggest that foreign adversaries could infiltrate unions; it's a well-documented tactic in the hybrid warfare playbook.