Boeing Union Leader Defends Pay Deal as Worker Backlash Builds

Boeing Co. faces growing backlash from rank-and-file workers to a tentative agreement — including a 25% pay raise — it struck with its largest labor union during a marathon weekend bargaining session.

In an exclusive interview, Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751, said he understood the angry response from members still seething over a 2014 deal that hiked health care costs and stripped away pensions. He defended the sprawling agreement unveiled Sunday as the best his team could obtain during the final frenzied days of negotiations that included a brief appearance by Boeing’s new Chief Executive Officer, Kelly Ortberg ...