Earlier in the week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce pleaded on social media site X for the two sides to reach an agreement that would put an end to the stoppage, which is rippling through the industry, leading Boeing suppliers like
Two senior union officials in Seattle told Reuters they believed the members would vote in favor of the deal, although they expected a backlash from older workers who were demanding a defined-benefit pension be reinstated by Boeing.
In September, nearly 95% of the West Coast workers rejected a tentative agreement offering a 25% pay rise over four years that had been endorsed by union officials, prompting the strike.
That first tentative deal also had a $3,000 signing bonus which some Boeing workers told Reuters was too low, given that prior deals had bonuses of at least $5,000.
The union said on Saturday in a social media post that with the help of Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su they had received a "negotiated proposal" and told striking workers it "is worthy of your consideration."
, opens new tabOn Monday, Su was in Seattle for her first in-person effort to help reach a new Boeing contract and returned on Thursday night to resume efforts after a trip to Detroit.
A spokesperson for Su said Friday the secretary was in Seattle having discussions with both parties and had met with Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and the union.
While some reaction on social media sites on Saturday afternoon was favorable to the new deal, it's not yet clear how the workers will vote.
A spokesperson for the White House said “President (Joe) Biden believes the collective bargaining process is the best way to achieve good outcomes for workers, and the ultimate decision on a contract will be for the union workers to decide.”
Last Friday, Boeing announced it would
cut 17,000 jobs, or 10% of its global staff and take $5 billion in charges, continuing a year of tumult for the company since a new Alaska Airlines
(ALK.N) 737 MAX 9 airplane suffered a mid-air emergency.
Boeing announced a window for up to $25 billion in stock and debt offerings over the next three years on Tuesday, as well as a $10-billion credit agreement.
The labor strife is expected to have a negative impact on October's employment report, which will be published days before the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election.
Economists estimate that the strike and rolling weekly furloughs of non-striking workers as well as temporary layoffs at Boeing's suppliers subtracted as many as 50,000 jobs from nonfarm payrolls this month. The economy added 254,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from 4.2% in August.
Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; additional reporting by Mrinmay Dey, Allison Lampert and Joe Brock; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Diane Craft.
, opens new ta
