Thousands of Boeing workers voted on Thursday to go on strike after rejecting a contract offer from the company, a potentially costly disruption as Boeing tries to increase airplane production after a safety crisis.

The walkout, scheduled for midnight Pacific time, is expected to bring operations to a halt in the Seattle area, home to most of Boeing’s commercial plane manufacturing. The slowdown could also further disrupt the company’s fragile supply chain.

“A strike would put our shared recovery in jeopardy, further eroding trust with our customers,” Kelly Ortberg, the company’s new chief executive, said in a message on Wednesday to employees asking them to approve the deal.

Boeing plays a substantial role in the U.S. economy. It employs almost 150,000 people across the country — nearly half of them in Washington State — and is one of the nation’s largest exporters. The company, which also makes military jets, rockets, spacecraft and Air Force One, is a global symbol of America’s manufacturing strength.

The union said the strike vote passed by 96 percent, well above the two-thirds required to initiate a walkout. Ninety-five percent of voters rejected the deal.

The proposed contract had been agreed upon by union leaders and company management on Sunday after months of talks. It included many gains for workers, but fell short of what the union initially sought. Union leaders had hoped to get bigger raises and other concessions from the company, but said it was still “the best contract we’ve negotiated in our history.”

The New York Times