NEW YORK – The American aviation giant Boeing has once again improved the conditions of its contractual offer to thousands of strikers, in the hope of putting an end to a painful strike which has paralyzed its two main factories for seven weeks.

District 751 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the union that represents more than 33,000 workers who went on strike Sept. 13 in the Seattle area, on Thursday approved the new offer and set a vote for Monday.

The offer includes a 38 percent salary increase over the four years of the contract and a $12,000 sign-on bonus, up from $7,000 in the previous proposal, Boeing said in a separate statement.

NEW OFFER People hold signs during a strike rally for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in Seattle, Washington, October 15, 2024. U.S. aviation giant Boeing granted a raise salary of 38 percent over four years and a ratification bonus as part of its new offer to strikers, their union announced on October 31, 2024. PHOTO AFP

“Your union supports and recommends the latest IAM/Boeing contract proposal. It is time for our members to consolidate these gains and declare victory with confidence,” the IAM section said.

This is the fourth offer made by Boeing since the beginning of September, but the third on which members are invited to vote.

On September 12, members overwhelmingly rejected an offer of a 25 percent increase over four years. A second offer, which promised a 35 percent pay rise, was rejected by almost two-thirds of members last week.

The union has always demanded a 40 percent wage increase.

“We believe that asking members to remain on strike for longer would not be a good thing given that we have had so much success,” the union said.

“We encourage all of our employees to learn more about the enhanced offer and vote on Monday, November 4,” Boeing said, noting that the average machinist will earn $119,309 by the end of the contract if the offer is accepted , compared to $75,608 previously.

Other terms of the contract remain unchanged, such as an annual bonus, and the company’s commitment to build its next plane expected in 2025 in the Seattle area, where Boeing was founded in July 1916.

Union demands to restore a pension plan abandoned in 2014 have not been honored.

Crucial vote

It remains to be seen whether union members will heed their leadership’s approval of the contract and return to work. A simple majority is required for ratification.

Ending the strike is necessary for Boeing, which is facing distinct financial difficulties on top of the work stoppage that has paralyzed the two factories that assemble the 737 MAX, 777 and other planes.

Only the factory responsible for the 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina is operational, but it only produces four planes per month.

Increased surveillance

Boeing has taken a series of steps since mid-September to help ease its cash flow woes.

In mid-October, it announced a 10 percent reduction in its global workforce, representing around 17,000 positions eliminated. This week, it launched a stock offering expected to raise about $21 billion.

Even before the strike, Boeing had slowed production at its commercial aircraft division to pay greater attention to safety protocols after a 737 MAX flown by Alaska Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing in January when a fuselage panel exploded in mid-flight.

The near-disaster following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, which claimed the lives of 346 people, has once again placed Boeing under intense regulatory scrutiny.

Boeing reported a huge quarterly loss of $6.2 billion last week.