Boeing builders of C-17 cargo jet strike in Long Beach over failed contract talks

C-17 assembly workers strike Boeing in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. — About 1,700 Boeing workers who assemble giant C-17 cargo jets in Long Beach, Calif., are on picket lines in a dispute over pension and medical benefits.

The walkout began Tuesday morning, and picket lines are up at several Boeing buildings. Boeing Co. is the city’s largest private employer, with about 5,000 workers.

Boeing spokeswoman Cindy Anderson says most of the 1,700 members of United Auto Workers Local 148 are on strike and the C-17 production line has been shut down indefinitely, although non-union workers are on the job.

The walkout comes after union and management talks failed. A week ago, nearly 80 percent of the union members rejected a 46-month contract proposal because the workers felt it contained too many concessions.

(This version CORRECTS number of Boeing employees to about 5,000.)