Strike Threat at Boeing May Ground Rockets

The International Assn. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, which represents 950 Boeing Co. employees in Southern California and Florida, has told the company that it plans to strike as early as Wednesday, a move that could disrupt three rocket launches.

The threat of a strike by machinists, most of whom work on Boeing’s Delta rocket program in Huntington Beach and Cape Canaveral, Fla., prompted Boeing on Friday to halt prelaunch processing. The rockets were scheduled to propel two NASA science satellites and a classified military payload into space.

“All launch preparations for all three launches are on hold at this point,” Boeing spokeswoman Tina Lange told Reuters.

Technical glitches had previously delayed the launches. No specific launch date was set before the strike threat.

The union on Sunday rejected Boeing’s latest offer for a new three-year agreement. It would provide cost-of-living allowances, a $3,000 lump-sum payment, a 2% wage hike in the second year, a 2.5% wage hike in the third year and medical insurance at no cost to employees, a company spokeswoman said.