3,500 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 (IAM 837) at three Boeing facilities in the St. Louis area went on strike on August 4th after rejecting contract offers from Boeing on July 27 and August 3. This about a year after IAM 751’s strike at Boeing’s commercial aircraft facilities in September of last year resulted in significant pay increases for those workers.
The dispute centers on pay, with IAM 837 members comparing their offer to IAM 751’s (the Puget Sound union) much stronger deal that raised top-end wages by 40% after the 2025 strike, while IAM 837’s proposal leaves top earners with only a small raise. Members see this as unfair since everyone aspires to reach the top wage level whether they are there now or not. Boeing faces an unappealing choice: paying more to resolve the strike quickly or holding firm to avoid signaling to others, like the IAM in Wichita and currently non-union workers in Charleston, that striking guarantees major gains. With that in mind, the strike could linger until financial pressures force a disgruntled workforce to accept an agreement that they feel is unfair, which is historically around 3 months.
