Thomas Hearn Weighs In on Replacement Workers Amid Boeing Labor Dispute

In the September 24, 2025, Manufacturing Dive article titled “Boeing stays silent on Machinists’ proposed strike settlement,” Thomas Hearn, a labor and employment partner at Obermayer, commented on the ongoing Boeing labor dispute in St. Louis. Boeing workers, represented by IAM District 837, are still awaiting an official response from the company to their pre-ratified strike settlement proposal. The union is seeking a deal similar to those secured by Boeing workers on the West Coast and in South Carolina.

Regarding the company’s move to hire replacements for its striking workers, Hearn stated that Boeing could choose to bring striking workers back and release the replacements, or keep the replacements, leaving the strikers out of the job until a position opens and “they have made an unconditional request for reinstatement.”

Read the full article here.