Inspired by the recent auto workers and Hollywood strikes, contract talks will begin March 11 between Boeing Co. and its largest union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. BloombergOpen in a new tab reported union leaders will demand a 40% pay raise over three or four years. 

“Our goal is to negotiate a contract that we as a union leadership and our members can accept,” said Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, which represents 32,000 Seattle-area Boeing mechanics. “We don’t take going on strike lightly. But we’re willing to do it.” 

The union also plans to press for the return of defined-benefit pensions, lower out-of-pocket health costs and more flexibility around overtime.