A major strike is looming at Boeing's St. Louis defense hub after unionized factory workers rejected a contract offer on Sunday. A seven-day "cooling-off" period is now underway, offering a narrow window to revive negotiations. If no deal is reached, the labor action could disrupt critical supply chains for fighter jets and other critical military aircraft, at a time when global conflict is escalating, inventories for weapons are running low, and defense preparedness has been a top priority across Western nations. 

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local 837, which represents 3,200 Boeing defense workers in Missouri and Illinois and is affiliated with the AFL–CIO/CLC trade union, said its members overwhelmingly voted down a new labor contract with Boeing on Sunday.

"IAM Union members delivered a clear message: the proposal from Boeing Defense fell short of addressing the priorities and sacrifices of the skilled IAM Union workforce," IAM Local 837 wrote in a statement on its website. 

The previous labor contract expired at 11:59 p.m. CT on Sunday, after which a seven-day cooling-off period commenced, following which a strike could be initiated this time next week.

Boeing released a statement, indicating its labor negotiators were "disappointed" with the union that "voted down the richest contract offer we've ever presented to IAM 837, which addressed all their stated priorities." 

Boeing's offer, which was endorsed by IAM Local 837's bargaining committee, included a $5,000 signing bonus, 8% wage increase in the first year and work schedule changes intended to improve quality of life. All-in, the contract would've boosted average wages by 40%, the company said.-Bloomberg

"We've activated our contingency plan and are focused on preparing for a strike. No talks are scheduled with the union," Boeing noted. 

A strike would halt production of key military aircraft and drones, including F-15, F/A-18, T-7A, and MQ-25, threatening Boeing's already struggling defense division, which hasn't turned an annual profit since 2021. 

The last time St. Louis workers went on strike was in 1996, and they don't have a long history of labor activism, unlike Boeing's unions in the Pacific Northwest, noted Melius Research analyst Scott Mikus.

One must ask whether foreign adversaries, as part of their hybrid warfare campaign to implode the US from within, have exploited this union in an attempt to strike a critical node in America's defense manufacturing hub. 

After all, the union has a long history of supporting the Democratic Party, whose radical leftist wing has increasingly embraced socialism, Marxism, and anti-American rhetoric.