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Boeing has offered it's workers a 25% salary increment over four years in a bid to avoid a strike that could potentially shut down its assembly lines.
Union leaders representing more than 30,000 employees have urged the workers to support the proposal, describing it as the best contract they had ever negotiated.
If approved, the agreement would be an important achievement for Boeing's new chief executive, Kelly Ortberg, who faces pressure to fix the company's quality and reputational issues.
Boeing workers in the Seattle and Portland region are set to vote on the deal on Thursday. If the deal is rejected, however, a second ballot will need to be approved by two-thirds of union members for a strike to go ahead.
In a video message to Boeing workers, the aerospace giant's chief operating officer, Stephanie Pope, described the proposal as a "historic offer".
If ratified by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union, it would be the first full labour agreement between the firm and the unions in 16 years.
The current contract between Boeing and the unions was first reached in 2008 following an eight-week strike. The two sides agreed to extend it in 2014 and it is now due to expire later this week.
Although the preliminary deal did not match the union's initial target of a 40% pay rise, negotiators still praised it and advised members to accept it.
"We can honestly say that this proposal is the best contract we’ve negotiated in our history," the IAM said in a statement.
Aside from the pay rise, the deal offers workers improved healthcare and retirement benefits, and 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
It also includes a commitment from Boeing to build its next commercial plane in the Seattle area if the project is started during the lifetime of the contract. It is not clear when the company will announce its next jet.
The deal also gives the union members more say on safety and quality issues.
Lewis Musonye
