Boeing firefighters ratify a contract with big raises, which they say will end a three-week lockout

Boeing firefighters ratified a new contract with major pay increases and expect to return to work this weekend after a lockout that has lasted more than three weeks, their union said Thursday.

The deal covers about 125 fire and emergency-service workers in the Seattle area, who were locked out by Boeing when their previous contract expired May 4.

The vote was 86-24 to ratify a tentative agreement, according to Local I-66 of the International Association of Fire Fighters union.

The union said the agreement will guarantee four hours of overtime pay for each 24-hour shift, boosting pay on average by about $21,000 per year. Employees will get annual raises of 2% to 3% through 2027. They will reach the top pay scale in 10 years instead of the current 14 years or the 19 years that Boeing proposed, the union said.

“This is a win for us,” said Casey Yeager, president of the union local.

Boeing, which is based in Arlington, Virginia, did not immediately comment.

The workers are present when planes are fueled and flown and respond to fires and medical emergencies at the company’s facilities. A few days into the lockout, President Joe Biden posted on X that both sides should reach "a deal that benefits Boeing and gets these firefighters the pay and benefits they deserve.”