Boeing has presented a new contract offer to more than 3,200 striking employees at its St. Louis-area facilities, increasing bonuses and adjusting terms in an effort to end a walkout that has stretched for more than three months.
The company on November 10, 2025, said it had doubled the proposed ratification bonus to $6,000, up from the $3,000 in its prior offer, while maintaining planned wage increases totaling 24% over five years. Boeing said it removed a $1,000 retention bonus and several restricted stock-unit provisions to redirect more cash upfront.
In a letter to workers obtained by Reuters, Boeing Defense, Space & Security Chief Steve Parker said the new package would raise the average base pay for covered employees from about $75,000 to $109,000 a year. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 837 have been informed that a vote on the new proposal is scheduled for November 12.
Employees at Boeing’s Missouri facilities build the F-15 Eagle II, F/A-18 Super Hornet, and T-7A Red Hawk trainer. The strike, which began in August 2025, has halted portions of defense production and drawn attention from lawmakers who have urged the company to improve wages and retirement contributions.
The IAM has been seeking a deal similar to the contract Boeing reached with its Seattle-area workforce last year, which included higher company contributions to retirement plans.
Boeing said the new agreement would return all striking employees to their positions without displacing any of the replacement workers the company hired during the walkout. “We are fully staffed in some areas, but all IAM members will return to work with no one displaced if the offer is ratified,” Parker wrote.
A settlement could end one of the most visible labor disputes in US aerospace manufacturing this year. It also comes as Boeing works to stabilize both its defense and commercial production lines amid ongoing supplier constraints and quality-control challenges.
The St. Louis-area plants employ about 16,000 people overall and serve as Boeing’s principal hub for fighter-aircraft assembly. The F/A-18 Super Hornet line, which has been winding down, continues to fulfill international orders, while the new T-7A trainer program is advancing toward full-rate production for the US Air Force.
Union leaders are expected to release additional details of the proposed agreement ahead of Wednesday’s vote. If ratified, production could resume within days, marking the end of a prolonged standoff that has slowed work on several key defense programs.
