On Monday evening, work is to halt at Boeing's defense facilities in the St. Louis area. 3,200 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) have rejected the company's latest four-year contract and voted to strike. Affected are the production of key programs such as the F-15 Eagle and the F/A-18 Super Hornet, as well as various guided missiles.

Boeing makes the decision at a time when the defense division is just stabilizing. In the second quarter, the division achieved an operating result of 110 million dollars, after a loss of 913 million dollars in the same period of the previous year. The division's share of sales was recently 29 percent of the total revenue of 22.75 billion dollars.

The dispute mainly revolves around alternative working time models. Boeing had offered an average wage increase of 40 percent, but the union criticizes the lack of long-term security for the workforce. "Our members build the systems that guarantee America's security – this must be reflected in the contract," said IAM Vice President Sam Cicinelli.

Boeing will limit the impact. They are prepared and have activated an emergency plan to maintain operations with non-striking employees, according to Dan Gillian, Vice President of the Air Dominance Division. CEO Kelly Ortberg downplayed the scale: The current walkout is much smaller than the strike in 2024 in Washington, which lasted over two months and brought 737 Max production to a halt.

In addition, Boeing is currently under pressure. After the door loss on an Alaska Airlines 737 Max flight and an incident with an Air India aircraft in June, manufacturing quality is once again the focus of regulatory authorities. As a result, a production cap has been imposed on the best-selling 737 Max.

A comment from the Pentagon as the main contractor was still pending by the editorial deadline.