Striking Boeing Workers Make Earnings a Cliffhanger for CEO (2)

Kelly Ortberg’s earnings debut as Boeing Co. chief executive officer has gained an element of suspense as workers vote on the same day whether to accept the planemaker’s latest proposal and end a five-week-long strike.

Boeing and the union representing 33,000 striking members hammered out a tentative new accord that notches up pay by 35% over four years, an unprecedented wage increase.

Kelly Ortberg

Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

But the hourly workers have the final say with their Oct. 23 vote, and approval is far from certain. They overwhelmingly rejected a deal in September that had labor leaders’ blessing. This time, union negotiators aren’t ...