Acting US labor secretary encourages Boeing and workers to reach 'fair contract’ By Reuters

By Allison Lampert

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su on Wednesday encouraged Boeing (NYSE:) and more than 30,000 of the planemaker’s factory workers to bridge a divide in negotiations and reach a fair contract, as a vote on a new deal looms on Sept. 12.

Boeing’s Seattle-area workers, who produce the planemaker’s strongest-selling 737 commercial jet, are voting next week on their first new contract in 16 years, with the two sides still tackling demands such as job security.

The workers can strike as early as Sept. 13 if they reject the contract and overwhelmingly support a work stoppage.

“We fully support collective bargaining,” Su told Reuters on the sidelines of a New York convention held by the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers which represents the Boeing workers. “I would just continue to encourage the parties to bargain, like they’re not quite there, and that reaching a fair contract is a good thing.”

“It’s the way to allow everyone to then march forward together to accomplish the mission of the company in a way that prioritizes the workers,” she added.