NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Boeing workers who build fighter jets are planning to go on strike Monday at midnight Central Daylight Time.<\/p>\n
About 3,200 workers at Boeing facilities in St. Louis; St. Charles, Missouri; and Mascoutah, Illinois, voted to reject a modified four-year labor agreement with Boeing, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union said Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIAM District 837 members build the aircraft and defense systems that keep our country safe,\u201d said Sam Cicinelli, Midwest territory general vice president for the union, in a statement. \u201cThey deserve nothing less than a contract that keeps their families secure and recognizes their unmatched expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n
The vote followed members\u2019 rejection last week of an earlier proposal<\/a> from the troubled aerospace giant, which had included a 20% wage increase over four years.<\/p>\n At the time, union leaders had recommended approving the offer, calling it a \u201clandmark agreement\u201d and saying the offer would improve medical, pension and overtime benefits.<\/p>\n Then there was a cooling-off period of a week, followed by the union members rejecting Boeing\u2019s latest proposal.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re disappointed our employees rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth and resolved their primary issue on alternative work schedules,\u201d said Dan Gillian, Boeing Air Dominance vice president and general manager, and senior St. Louis site executive. \u201cWe are prepared for a strike and have fully implemented our contingency plan to ensure our non-striking workforce can continue supporting our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n Boeing has been struggling<\/a> after two of its Boeing 737 Max airplanes crashed<\/a>, one in Indonesia in 2018 and the other in Ethiopia in 2019, killing 346 people. In June, one of Boeing\u2019s Dreamliner planes, operated by Air India, crashed<\/a>, killing at least 260 people. <\/p>\n