Workers at Boeing's US west coast factory will walk off the job after 96% voted to strike on Thursday, halting production of the plane maker's best-selling jet as the company struggles with persistent production delays and mounting debt.
The workers' first strike since 2008 is set to begin at midnight Pacific time on Friday.
It comes just weeks after new CEO Kelly Ortberg was brought in in August to restore confidence in the plane maker after a door panel malfunctioned. A nearly new 737 Max jet blew up in mid-air In January.
About 30,000 workers in the Seattle and Portland areas who produce Boeing's 737 Max and other jets were voting on their first full contract in 16 years.
Under complex rules set by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), at least two-thirds of unionized workers had to vote in favor of a strike to stop work and reject the contract.
Boeing workers voted 96% to strike and 94.6% to reject the agreement.
The deal included a general salary increase of 25%, a $3,000 signing bonus, and a pledge to build Boeing's next commercial jet in the Seattle area, provided the program be launched within four years of the contract.
Although the IAM leadership had recommended last Sunday that its members accept the contract, many workers expressed dissatisfaction, demanding the originally demanded 40% wage hike and lamenting the loss of annual bonus.
On Wednesday, Ortberg sent a letter to workers urging them to approve the deal.
Some workers were already preparing to picket that day, with one union member leaving Wednesday's meeting carrying a sign under her arm that read: “On Strike Against Boeing.”
