Boeing accuses union of bad faith bargaining, misleading public

Boeing (NYSE:BA) has filed an unfair labor practice charge against the union representing workers on strike, accusing it of “bad faith bargaining,” as the two sides fail to make progress in contract negotiations.

According to the filing with the National Labor Relations Board, Boeing (BA) accused the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union of misrepresenting the deal terms and status of negotiations to the public, as well as failing to bring negotiators “with the authority to reach an agreement.”

“The union’s public narrative is misleading and making it difficult to find a solution for our employees,” Boeing (BA) claimed. “We remain committed to reaching a compromise to end the strike.”

The planemaker on Tuesday withdrew its offer of a 30% wage hike over four years, with workers saying the proposal was not good enough.

Workers on strike have been demanding a 40% pay increase and the reinstatement of a defined-benefit pension that was scrapped in 2014.

To note, IAM District 751 also filed unfair labor practice charges against Boeing (BA) last month. The strike began on September 13, even as the company struggles with safety issues and financial woes.

Meanwhile, in a letter to Boeing (BA) CEO Kelly Ortberg, 30 Congress members underscored the importance of negotiating in good faith. They noted that Boeing’s withdrawn offer fell short of worker demands, even as its CEO was paid more than $32M in 2023.