Boeing said the company couldn’t agree to union proposals that would have compromised its ability to respond to changes in the economic environment.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers had been pressing Boeing for job security guarantees as part of a new contract. Some 27,000 union members walked off the job Sept. 6 after 80 percent rejected a contract offer.

Boeing issued a statement regarding its stance:

“In light of the current business environment and global market challenges we face, we had hoped we could find a way to move forward. We worked very hard to find solutions, and we are extremely disappointed that the talks broke off,” said Doug Kight, Boeing vice president of human resources. “We want to resolve this strike so employees can return to work, but we cannot sacrifice our ability to continuously improve productivity and our long-term competitiveness for an agreement.”

The Machinists Union wasn’t immediately available for comment. The sides had negotiated Sunday and until late afternoon Monday before breaking off talks.

The News Tribune