ST.. LOUIS (KMOX) - Five members of the House Congressional Labor caucus, including Illinois Congresswoman Nikki Budzinsky, have sent a letter to Boeing, asking they go back to the bargaining table.
In a letter the congress people say they are concerned that Boeing intends to hire permanent replacement workers.
The congress people say there are no new negotiations scheduled, despite I-A-M offering to sit down at the bargaining table. They also say there is talk Boeing will scale back its contract offers to IAM members, even though Boeing's initial offers were voted down overwhelming.
The letter goes on to say, the Boeing workers are essential to the company and they deserve a fair contract for their hard work.
IAM Local 837 released the following statement:
Congressional Leaders Urge Boeing to Bargain in Good Faith After Company Executive Insults Workers
ST. LOUIS, Sept. 17, 2025— IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) International President Brian Bryant released the following statement regarding members of the Congressional Labor Caucus writing a letter to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, urging the company to return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract amidst the seven-week strike of 3,200 IAM District 837 members in St. Louis.
IAM Union International President Brian Bryant: "We thank the Congressional Labor Caucus for joining the growing number of stakeholders calling on Boeing to get serious about treating its employees fairly, resolving this strike, and getting back to work for the nation's defense. IAM District 837 members in St. Louis have the rightful expectation to be treated like Boeing employees across the country. It's a slap in the face for Boeing to refuse to make any attempt to listen to its employees and negotiate a fair contract."
On Friday, Sept. 19, IAM Union members will vote on a union-proposed four-year contract proposal — a serious path toward strike settlement after Boeing refused to improve on an offer that was rejected by the membership. Boeing has called the attempt to end the strike "a waste of time."
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.