Commercial and military airframe builder Spirit AeroSystems suspended its Wichita, Kan., manufacturing operations on June 22 after the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union announced plans to strike on June 24. The IAM union members rejected the company’s proposed four-year labor agreement, which would have succeeded the contract expiring on June 24.
Five other Spirit AeroSystems plants in Maine, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas are not affected by the decision to suspend production, though with a reported 11,000 workers the Wichita plant is by far the largest of the group.
Spirit AeroSystems supplies major airframe products to both Boeing and rival Airbus, so a prolonged outage could have a significant effect on aerospace supply chains. Spirit supplies the full fuselage for Boeing’s best-selling aircraft, the narrow-body 737 MAX; and forward sections for other Boeing series. It also supplies structural components to Airbus for its A220 mid-sized jets, which are assembled in Mobile, Ala.
The proposed four-year contract was reached last week and submitted to the union membership for approval. “We believe that our fair and competitive offer recognizes the contributions of our employees and ensures we can successfully meet increasing demand for aircraft from our customers,” Spirit stated, announcing its suspension of production.
Reportedly, nearly 80% of IAM members voted to reject the contract proposal, and an even higher percentage voted to approve the strike.
"The IAM's dedicated and hardworking membership at Spirit AeroSystems has worked without fail during tumultuous times, including a pandemic that saw everything grind to a halt. Most of our members have concluded that the company's offer is unacceptable," according to an IAM statement.
