MONTREAL (Reuters) – Amazing Montreal Safran (EPA:) Workers who make components for landing gear used on Airbus and Boeing (NYSE:) planes have made a counteroffer that could avert a longer dispute, a union representative told Reuters on Friday.
Workers who make forgings for landing gear used on planes such as the Airbus A320 family and A350 planes, as well as the Boeing 787, began a seven-day strike on Tuesday and are prepared to walk off the job indefinitely if they don’t reach an agreement. This was stated by local union president Michael Duran.
Unions have recently capitalized on tight labor markets and high inflation to win huge contracts at the bargaining table across North America, with airline pilots, auto workers and others getting big raises in 2023.
The strike comes as Airbus, the world’s largest plane maker, faces new production pressure, Reuters reported earlier on Friday, as it struggles to overcome shortages of parts and labor to build more planes to meet airline demand.
Boeing, which has been grappling with a production crisis following an in-flight panel explosion on a nearly new 737 MAX jet in January, recently said it was cutting production of its 787 due to a shortage of suppliers.
Durand said the short-term strike would likely not affect production of Airbus’ best-selling A320 plane, but “if it lasts more than two weeks, Airbus will be calling.”
Both Boeing and Airbus deferred questions about the labor dispute to Safran, which was not immediately available for comment.
The union previously asked for a pay rise of about 22% for 130 Safran workers over three years after their last six-year contract ended in December 2023 with an 8.6% pay rise.
Safran offered increases of 14% over three years, he said.
“We need to catch up on wages,” said Durand of the Confederation of National Syndicates.