More than 30,000 Boeing workers are on strike after their union rejected a deal that would have raised pay in exchange for the loss of bonuses and pensions.

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Many of the strikers the BBC spoke to cited the loss of their bonuses and pensions, as well as inflation and the cost of living, as their reasons for walking out.

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Smith, who has worked at Boeing for only a year, says his pay rate doesn’t compensate him for the level of safety that goes into ensuring that the planes don’t fail.

He says he’s concerned he could be held criminally liable if his work isn’t done correctly.

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The deal that union representatives and Boeing had tentatively agreed would have seen workers get a 25% pay rise over four years.

It also offered improved healthcare and retirement benefits, 12 weeks of paid parental leave, and would have given union members more say on safety and quality issues.

However, the union had initially targeted a 40% pay rise, and almost 95% of union members who voted rejected the deal.

Many remain angry about benefits lost during contract negotiations years ago - especially the pension, which guaranteed certain payouts in retirement.

Now, the firm contributes to worker investment accounts known as 401(k)s, making their values subject to the strength of the stock market.

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Boeing declined to comment for this story, pointing to earlier comments by executives pledging to reset the relationship with workers and work towards a deal as soon as possible.

Before the stoppage, the company was already facing deepening financial losses and struggling to repair its reputation after a series of safety issues.

New chief executive Kelly Ortberg, who was appointed to turn the business around, had urged workers not to strike as it would put the company's "recovery in jeopardy".

On Wednesday, the firm announced it was suspending the jobs of tens of thousands of staff in the US as a way of saving money in response to the strike.

Patrick Anderson, chief executive of the Anderson Economic Group, a research and consulting firm, says Boeing is a company "on the precipice".

His firm estimates that the strike, just in its first week, has already cost workers at the firm and its suppliers more than $100m in lost wages and shareholders more than $440m, among other economic losses.

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