Boeing to resume contract talks with union as strike enters 3rd week

Boeing (NYSE:BA) on Friday will go back to the negotiating table with representatives from its biggest labor union as the aviation giant aims to limit the length of the strike.

“The union is ready for this opportunity to bring forward the issues that members have identified as critical to reaching an agreement,” according to a statement late Wednesday from District 751 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents the 33,000 striking Boeing employees.

Workers two weeks ago rejected Boeing’s (BA) offer of a 25% pay increase and voted to go on strike. The first rounds of negotiations ended last week without a deal.

Boeing (BA) this week sweetened its offer, proposing directly to workers a plan to give them a 30% raise over four years. Union leaders criticized the attempt to bypass them.

“The company’s latest offer didn’t meet the needs of our members,” the union said Wednesday. “After a decade of hard work and sacrifice to keep Boeing flying high, the company’s leadership rewarded themselves with record bonuses, while the workers who built those planes and carried the company through its darkest times struggled to make ends meet.”