Boeing Locks Out Firefighters in Contract Dispute, and Biden Weighs In

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Contract negotiations between Boeing and a union representing firefighters at some of the company’s commercial plane factories broke down last week. On Thursday, President Biden called on both sides to return to the negotiating table. The company locked out about 125 workers represented by a chapter of the International Association of Firefighters union on Saturday after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract, said Casey Yeager, the president of the union chapter, I-66. The previous contract expired on March 1, but the firefighters, who work at Boeing’s plants in the Seattle area, continued to work under its provisions. The talks, conducted with the help of a federal mediator, stalled after the firefighters rejected what the company had said was its final offer. The two sides met as recently as Friday night, minutes before the lockout began, Mr. Yeager said. “When we left our negotiating room the other day, we had a very firm discussion that we were willing to continue to bargain,” he said. “They can call us at any point and we will bargain, but at this time they have not sent any information to us at all.”