St. Louis: More than 3,000 Boeing defence workers went on strike Monday after rejecting a revised contract offer, demanding better pay and work conditions. The walkout affects key facilities in Missouri and Illinois as Boeing grapples with financial woes and safety concerns. Boeing workers who build fighter jets went on strike Monday at midnight Central Daylight Time.

According to France24.com, about 3,200 workers at Boeing facilities in St. Louis; St. Charles, Missouri; and Mascoutah, Illinois, voted to reject a modified four-year labor agreement with Boeing, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union said Sunday.

In a post on X, the union stated: “3,200 highly-skilled IAM Union members at Boeing went on strike at midnight because enough is enough.” The union members rejected the latest proposal after a weeklong cooling-off period.

“We’re disappointed our employees rejected an offer that featured 40% average wage growth and resolved their primary issue on alternative work schedules,” said Dan Gillian, Boeing Air Dominance vice president and general manager, and senior St. Louis site executive. “We are prepared for a strike and have fully implemented our contingency plan to ensure our non-striking workforce can continue supporting our customers.”

Boeing has been struggling after two of its Boeing 737 Max airplanes crashed, one in Indonesia in 2018 and the other in Ethiopia in 2019, killing 346 people. In June, one of Boeing’s Dreamliner planes, operated by Air India, crashed, killing at least 260 people.

Last week, Boeing reported that its second-quarter revenue had improved and losses had narrowed. The company lost $611 million in the second quarter, compared to a loss of $1.44 billion during the same period last year.