Aerospace manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems suspended production at its facility in Wichita, Kansas on Wednesday due to a worker strike.
The decision came after members of Local Lodge 839 Machinist Union, a chapter of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, voted to strike after declining the Boeing supplier’s contract offer, according to the labor union’s Facebook post on Wednesday.
The local IAM negotiating committee recommended Spirit’s latest offer in a June 16 letter to its members but noted that whether to accept or reject it would be up to the voters.
Spirit AeroSystem’s four-year offer includes a 34% increase in pay, a 14.7% increase in retirement benefits, improved job security by decreasing the number of employees required to qualify for subcontracting language, an increase in paid time off for employees with more than five years of service and an improved pension plan.
Spirit AeroSystems and IAM said they plan to continue meeting to reach a contract agreement.
