During St. Louis Strike, Boeing Had Money and Time on Its Side

The St. Louis Boeing strike was supposed to change things. For three months, I interviewed striking fighter-jet and missile mechanics as they sat on picket lines around St. Louis.

The workers were nothing if not determined, invigorated by the victory of a much-larger strike at Boeing’s Seattle branch a year ago. They hoped for bigger bonuses, safer working conditions, and a stronger path towards a dignified retirement. “We do the same type of stuff Seattle does,” Boeing worker and strike captain Joshua Arnold told me two weeks into the strike. “And we get worse everything.”

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But Boeing had both time and money on their side. As weeks turned into months, workers lost their healthcare and took on gig work to get by — sometimes, ironically, making more as hourly rideshare drivers than they did on the warplane production line. “In two and a half days driving Uber, I make about 800 bucks. I make 750 in five days at Boeing,” one missile inspector told me.

As the holidays drew closer, the margins by which union members rejected Boeing contract offers grew smaller and smaller. While lawmakers lobbied Boeing to negotiate in good faith, the company dragged out negotiations, often refusing to come to the table. Meanwhile, the weather got colder — workers started building bonfires on the picket lines — and with the holidays approaching, Boeing’s leverage only grew.

In the 15th week of their strike, Boeing workers approved a company contract offer that was only slightly better than the one they overwhelmingly rejected back in September. “I’m disappointed,” Arnold recently told me. “But I’m proud that our members held out for so long.”

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Read my coverage of the three-month strike here and here, and listen to our podcast on the history of St. Louis’ “toxic relationship” with the defense industry here. You can reach me with comments or tips at [email protected] or shurwitz.18 on Signal.

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