Boeing's U.S. West Coast factory workers will walk off the job after 96% voted on Thursday in favor of a strike, halting production of the planemaker's strongest-selling jet as it wrestles with chronic output delays and mounting debt.
The workers' first strike since 2008 will start at midnight Pacific time as Friday begins, just weeks after new CEO Kelly Ortberg was brought on in August to restore faith in the planemaker after a door panel blew off a near-new 737 MAX jet in mid-air in January.
Roughly 30,000 workers who produce Boeing's 737 MAX and other jets in the Seattle and Portland areas voted on their first full contract in 16 years.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.