Phil LeBeau is joining us now, our friend over there at CNBC. He is out in the field tonight. Phil, talk us through this potential strike, because the contract they're voting on would include more money, right? That's something these workers want to see.

Yes. Pay is the main issue, Halley. This contract includes an offer at a tentative agreement by the leadership of the Union and the leaders of Boeing. It calls for a 25% pay raise over the next five years, 11% when it's initially signed, then 4%, 4%, 6%. Overall, you would sit and listen to that and you'd go, Hey, 25%, it's a pretty good deal. Keep in mind, these members' previous contract, the union's previous contract, was a 1% raise every couple of years over the last eight years. So they believe that they have been shortchanged changed, if you will, in terms of pay increases that many in other industries have seen over the last several years. In fact, this is what a number of the machinists had to say this morning when I asked them if 25% is enough.

With the way inflation situation and times are nowadays, people on $20 an hour can't survive.

What would be a fair percentage that you think, Okay, maybe people could accept this?

40% like we applied for the first time. I mean, we're not We're not just building stuff that you just... We're not building bikes. We're building airplanes that people fly on.

They are voting for a couple more hours here, Halley. This vote comes down to this, two questions that they have to answer. A, do you approve the contract? Basically, 50% basic majority, 50% plus one to approve. But to call for a strike, it's two-thirds, a much higher threshold. So there's the possibility, Halley, that they might say, We don't like that contract, but there's not enough to go on strike. Which would send the Union leadership back to the negotiating table with Boeing.

We would basically know by the end of the night tonight, right?

Yes.

And this is all happening.

And if there is a strike, starts at midnight out here. Okay.

Brand new CEO walking through the We're getting handed this onto his plate, along with everything else that we talked about in the introduction to you, right? Are we hearing from Kelly Orpberg at all?

We have seen a couple of messages that he has posted. He spent the last couple of days on the floor, both in Renton, Washington, and here in Everett, Washington, talking with the membership. He didn't say a lot aside from, Look, we have a chance to start to correct the problems that have been affecting this company dramatically over the last several years. He understands the passionate feelings of the the international machinists who are working here. At the same time, he's in a tough spot, Halley, because 25% that is given the finances of Boeing, that's a very generous offer. But you would look at this if you were a machinist and say, What did they get at the UAW? What did they get if they were at certain airlines when those unions threatened to go on strike and they were negotiating new contracts? They believe 40% is a better deal than 25%.

Phil, real quick before I let you go, has anything surprised you about this? You've covered this industry. You understand it. Has anything stood out to you that made you go, Well, wait a second, really?

No, because having covered Boeing for almost 30 years, I've seen how the frustration has been building up with the machinists, especially over the last 15 years. When Boeing opened a plant in South Carolina, which is not a Union state, the members here really got upset about that, and they haven't been happy about the last couple of contracts. I'm not surprised we're on the cusp of a potential Phil LeBeau, lots to watch tonight there in Everett, Washington.

So glad to have you, Phil. Thank you very much for being with us.

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