Workers at Spirit AeroSystems' (SPR.N) plant in Wichita, Kansas, which makes critical structures for Boeing (BA.N) jetliners, will go on strike on Saturday, after rejecting a proposed four-year deal on Wednesday night, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) said.
About 6,000 members of the IAM voted to reject Spirit's "last best and final offer," with a strike scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. CDT (0501 GMT) on June 24, the union said.
"The IAM's dedicated and hardworking membership at Spirit AeroSystems has worked without fail during tumultuous times, including a pandemic that saw everything grind to a halt. Most of our members have concluded that the company's offer is unacceptable," IAM said in a statement.
The union said it would regroup and begin planning "the following steps to bring the company back to the table."
Spirit AeroSystems and Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Spirit's Wichita production facility is responsible for manufacturing major subassemblies of most Boeing jetliners, including the entire fuselage of Boeing's lucrative 737 narrowbody aircraft and the forward fuselage of the widebody 787 Dreamliner.
A stoppage would impede Boeing as it tries to recover from 737 and 787 production glitches. The company is trying to ramp up production to meet end-of-year objectives, bumping output from three to five 787s per month and 31 to 38 single-aisle 737s per month.
Employees and unions across industries, from United Parcel Service (UPS) (UPS.N) to Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), have been fighting for better pay and work conditions for the past few months.
Last month, Spirit said it expected to take a $31 million hit to its full-year gross profit from disruptions related to 737 MAX fuselages and took a $110 million loss in reach-forward charges on Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing jet production in the first-quarter.
