Boeing, Machinists in Tentative Pact

Boeing Co. and a union representing 3,200 machinists at its military aircraft division in St. Louis reached a tentative three-year agreement Thursday on wages and benefits.

Union members will vote Sunday on the contract, which includes a $1,200 signing bonus and a wage increase of 3% in the first year and 4% in the final two years, said Bruce Darrough, a spokesman for District 837 of the International Assn. of Machinists.

The agreement may not be enough to avert a strike, however, because it lacks changes in job security and retirement benefits the union was seeking, Darrough said. An earlier proposal was rejected.