Hundreds of GE Aerospace workers walk off job over ‘insulting’ company offers

Hundreds of GE Aerospace employees at the company’s locations in Evendale, Ohio, and Erlanger, Kentucky, have walked off the job, saying the company made “insulting counteroffers” that would raise health care costs. 

On August 22, 2025, workers at GE Aerospace, represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW) union Local 647, voted 84% in favor of authorizing a strike. Their contract expired at midnight on August 27, 2025. 

The union chapter represents more than 600 workers at two GE sites: the Evendale, Ohio plant, which manufactures marine and industrial engines for the US Navy, and the Erlanger, Kentucky distribution center, which provides supplies to GE facilities worldwide. 

“After years of sacrificing for this billion-dollar company, workers are determined to walk the picket line for as long as it takes to win the contract they deserve,” the union announced in a post on X on August 28, 2025. 

Union members said that “high health care costs” are the main reason behind the strike. The union said that while its members were undergoing contract negotiations with GE management, the company responded with “insulting counteroffers” that would increase health care costs for workers by 36% over four years. 

Additionally, the workers pointed out that from 2022 to 2024, the company achieved record revenue exceeding $100 billion, along with over $16 billion in shareholder distributions. Meanwhile, the company’s CEO Larry Culp made $89 million in 2024 alone – over 1,200 times more than the median worker’s annual income. 

Responding to the strike, GE Aerospace said in a statement that the company is “deeply disappointed” that the Detroit-based UAW leaders have chosen to send workers on strike without giving them an opportunity to review and vote on the company’s latest offer. 

According to the company, the offer presented to the union on August 27, 2025, included general wage increases of 12% over three years, three accelerated cash payments totaling $2,500, and increases in paid time off and sick leave. 

“From the beginning, we’ve understood your interests to include increased wages, job security, paid time off and affordable benefits. We address all these priorities and more in our final offer,” the company said. 

Throughout negotiations, GE Aerospace workers organized mass plant solidarity walks every Wednesday at both the Erlanger and Evendale sites.  

Increasing workforce tensions are currently impacting the aviation industry, as employees from major manufacturers such as Boeing, Airbus, and Canada’s largest carrier, Air Canada, have held strikes demanding better pay and working conditions. The post Hundreds of GE Aerospace workers walk off job over ‘insulting’ company offers appeared first on AeroTime.

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