
Union members representing Boeing [BA] defense plants in and around St. Louis, Mo., on Wednesday ratified a modified contract offer from the aerospace and defense giant that improves retirement plans, increases pay and provides other benefits, ending the threat of a strike where the company builds fighter jets, unmanned aircraft and a military trainer. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 837, which represents nearly 2,500 Boeing employees in the St. Louis area, on July 24 rejected…