Talks between Boeing and the machinists union break down as strike nears the one-month mark

Boeing and the union that represents 33,000 striking employees at the company say talks between the two have broken down and no new talks are scheduled.

Boeing and the union that represents 33,000 striking employees at the company say talks between the two have broken down and no new talks are scheduled. Two days of federally mediated talks this week concluded with the two sides still far apart, said Stephanie Pope, the CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplanes unit, in a statement. “The union made non-negotiable demands far in excess of what can be accepted if we are to remain competitive as a business,” she said in the statement to Boeing employees. “Given that position, further negotiations do not make sense at this point and our offer has been withdrawn.” Members of the International Association of Machinists have been on strike since September 13, grinding operations at the troubled manufacturer to a halt. Credit analysts at Standard & Poor’s estimated Tuesday that the strike is costing the company $1 billion a month. The IAM in a statement said Boeing is at fault for not making an offer that would be acceptable to its rank-and-file members. A previous tentative agreement between the union and Boeing ahead of the strike was rejected nearly unanimously by the members now on strike. The rejected tentative deal would have given members raises totaling 25% over four years. The IAM’s statement late Tuesday said its surveys of membership made clear that the improved offer the company made to the union and released publicly two weeks ago, of an immediate 12% raise and total raises of 30% over the four-year life of the contract, was not acceptable to members either.