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ST. LOUIS, Nov. 5, 2025 – U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has sent a letter to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg urging the company to “negotiate in good faith” and “quickly reach an agreement that the IAM 837 machinists can afford to accept,” continuing growing bipartisan pressure on Boeing to end its strike in St. Louis.
Nearly 3,200 IAM District 837 members have been on strike for more than three months—14 weeks without a paycheck or health care—after Boeing has refused to offer a fair contract that reflects the value of the highly skilled workforce building America’s most advanced military aircraft.
“These workers help produce our Nation’s most crucial, most advanced, and most expensive defense tools,” writes Hawley. “And since your company receives billions in government contracts, it is incumbent upon you to do the right thing.”
In his letter, Hawley cites the testimony of IAM District 837 member Joshua Arnold—an Army veteran and longtime Boeing Defense shop steward—who told a Senate committee last month that he and his coworkers have been without pay or health care for months because of Boeing’s refusal to offer a fair contract. Hawley also met privately with Arnold after the hearing.
“Senator Hawley’s letter adds to the growing bipartisan call for Boeing to come back to the table and reach a fair agreement,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “Our members have built their lives, families, and communities around this work—and they deserve a contract that reflects their value and the critical role they play in protecting our nation. It’s time for Boeing to do the right thing for the people who build the aircraft that keep our country safe.”
This latest show of congressional support builds on the growing bipartisan outrage over Boeing’s refusal to offer a fair contract. Bipartisan members of the powerful House Armed Services Committee recently urged Boeing to negotiate in good faith as military deliveries fall further behind. Five members of the Senate Armed Services Committee followed up with a strong plea to the company as well, saying that choosing replacement workers over IAM Union members “will be sacrificing the needs of the U.S. military in order to benefit the corporation’s bottom line.”
In October, U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Hawley voiced strong support for IAM Union members. In addition, Reps. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and the Congressional Labor Caucus have joined calls for Boeing to bargain fairly and protect good-paying jobs in the St. Louis region.
The IAM Union submitted a responsible counterproposal to Boeing on Monday, Oct. 27, which included significant union concessions in a good-faith effort to end the strike. Boeing summarily rejected the offer and has still not provided a counteroffer, despite the fact that the difference between the IAM’s proposal and Boeing’s rejected offer amounts to only about $8 million over four years—a fraction of the company’s massive revenue and executive payouts. The IAM Union has now submitted two Unfair Labor Practice Charges against the company for not bargaining in good faith.
IAM District 837 members build and support production of the F-15EX, F/A-18, T-7A, MQ-25, and the future F-47 fighter jet—aircraft vital to U.S. and allied defense readiness. Boeing’s failure to propose a fair contract has already led the U.S. Air Force to publicly acknowledge that F-15EX deliveries are delayed.
The IAM Union continues to urge Boeing leadership to return to the bargaining table and secure a deal that brings these skilled workers back to work with the dignity and fairness they’ve earned.
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.
