Boeing and the International Association of Machinists (IAM) have agreed to resume negotiations on Thursday in Washington D.C. with help from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. The union has been on strike since September 6th , with talks failing several times despite prior mediation efforts. 27,000 Machinists are participating in the strike, hoping to win the dispute over issues such as outsourcing and automation. Both parties hope resuming talks will bring them closer to resolution.
See "Boeing, Machinists will meet with mediators Thursday", Dominic Gates, The Seattle Times, October 20, 2008