Boeing has upper hand in latest labour strike

BOEING CO. RESUMED talks on Monday with union leaders to end a strike that most investors aren't paying much attention to.

- Thomas Black Bloomberg

This is a problem for the 3,200 employees who rejected a company offer that provided an all-in 40% average compensation increase over four years and walked off the job on August 4. The striking workers help build aircraft, including the F-15 and, among other things, produce kits that turn dumb bombs into smart ones in facilities near St. Louis, Missouri. This labour struggle has drawn little publicity compared with the high-profile strike at the end of last year that shut down commercial aircraft production for 53 days.

In a nod to which side holds the upper hand on talks, the president of the union, which represents about 600,000 workers in North America, sent a letter on August 11 to Missouri lawmakers asking them to urge Boeing to return to the bargaining table. Now, two weeks later, Boeing and union leaders are holding talks again, but don't expect a sense of urgency on the company's part.