Boeing employees have accepted the company's proposal for a 38% pay increase. However, despite this agreement, the company is still planning to proceed with significant job cuts.

The U.S. aerospace giant, Boeing, is set to resume production and generate essential revenue after a significant 59% of its employees voted on Monday to accept the company's latest contract offer. This new agreement includes a $12,000 (€11,030) signing bonus and increased employer contributions toward retirement and healthcare plans.

Jon Holden, the head of the Seattle branch of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union, expressed optimism about the future, stating, "The strike will end, and now it's our job to get back to work, start building the airplanes, increase the rates, and bring this company back to financial success." He also commended the workers, saying, "I'm proud of our members. They've achieved a lot, and we're ready to move forward."

Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg conveyed the company’s satisfaction in reaching an agreement with the workers. He acknowledged the challenges faced in recent months, remarking, "While the past few months have been difficult for all of us, we are all part of the same team."

The strikes were initially prompted by a series of incidents involving Boeing's 737 MAX aircraft, which heightened pressure on workers at the company's primary facility in Washington state. Whistleblower accounts indicated a culture of immense pressure to manufacture airplanes, even amidst raised safety concerns. Moreover, Boeing employees had previously agreed to several pay freezes in recent years despite a substantial increase in living costs.

Workers initially rejected Boeing's first two proposals of 25% and 35% pay increases, leading to a strike vote in mid-September. Although the union succeeded in negotiating a more favorable wage increase, the company did not fulfill some workers' requests to reinstate an older, more generous pension plan.

In light of the strike and other challenges, Ortberg, who joined Boeing in August, announced that the company would be reducing its workforce by 10%, impacting 17,000 of its 170,000 employees.