Boeing is moving ahead with plans to bring in replacement workers for its St. Louis defense plants as more than 3,200 employees continue a strike now in its eighth week.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837 has been on strike since August 4, with members rejecting Boeing's latest contract offer.
In an internal memo shared Thursday, Boeing Vice President Dan Gillian told employees that the company will begin training new hires for munitions assembly and other defense jobs starting Friday.
Gillian also said Boeing is considering outsourcing some of the work if the strike continues. Boeing did not disclose how many replacements would start training.
Union leaders quickly pushed back, saying Boeing's move is more show than substance.
According to ET, they pointed out that most of the jobs require months of training and security clearances that can take up to six months to obtain.
"It's not realistic to think they can just walk people in off the street," one IAM member said.
The strike has drawn attention from Washington. Senator Bernie Sanders sent a letter Wednesday urging Boeing to settle the dispute.
"Do the right thing. Sign a fair contract," Sanders wrote to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg. Sanders, Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, and Missouri's Republican Senator Josh Hawley also criticized the company at a Senate hearing the same day.
From St. Louis picket lines to Washington’s halls of power, pressure is building on @Boeing.
— IAM Union (@IAM_Union) October 2, 2025
3,200 workers approved a fair deal. Corporate greed is the only thing prolonging this strike. pic.twitter.com/EQ67fKb3LV
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During the hearing, Boeing's chief labor counsel Scott Mayer, nominated for a role at the National Labor Relations Board, was pressed on what a fair resolution would look like.
"The concept of fairness is an elusive one," Mayer said, adding that he was not speaking on behalf of the company. Hawley fired back, saying, "Fairness may be elusive, but that doesn't look like fairness to me."
The criticism comes as Boeing faces scrutiny over executive pay. The company's board approved $22 million in compensation for Ortberg this year, while IAM estimates its proposals would cost Boeing around $40 million annually, Reuters said.
Workers say the gap highlights the company's unwillingness to negotiate in good faith.
The union strike covers employees who assemble fighter jets like the F-15, maintain the F/A-18 program, and produce Joint Direct Attack Munition kits. Boeing has argued that government contracts insulate its defense division from major financial harm, giving it more room to wait out the strike.
With Boeing already planning to shift F/A-18 service work out of St. Louis in the coming years, many see this fight as one about long-term job security.
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