Boeing announced plans Thursday to hire permanent replacements for union workers on strike.
Boeing St. Louis Vice President of Air Dominance Dan Gillian said in a statement that the company has started posting positions and plans to hold a job fair on Sept. 16.
“Unfortunately, the union continues to demand more of everything while also saying it has no control over what it will take to end the strike, driving the parties further apart,” Gillian said. “As a result, we’re taking the next step in our contingency plan.”
The union’s international president, Brian Bryant, denounced the hiring plan in a statement, saying Boeing was “doubling down on its mismanagement.”
Gillian said that this is the best contract Boeing has ever proposed to the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837, and that the company is willing to make small changes while maintaining the current economic framework.
On Wednesday, Gillian told the media that the rejected proposal remains on the table, but he declined to comment on hiring replacement workers.
On Thursday, Bryant criticized the removal of a $5,000 ratification bonus from the contract after union members voted it down on Aug. 3.
“Here’s some free advice for Boeing executives: Don’t go backwards on a proposal that two-thirds of your workforce rejected,” he said. “On the strike line, I consistently heard from our members that they were offended by Boeing taking a $5,000 signing bonus off the table.”
About 3,200 union workers entered the second month of their strike this week.
