The union for 33,000 striking Boeing Co. factory workers said it’s “actively engaged in indirect discussions” with the embattled planemaker, a possible sign of progress toward ending the five-week walkout.

Even if the union ratifies the new contract, Boeing still has to confront a slew of issues with its aircraft programs.

The union representing 33,000 striking Boeing Co. workers is presenting members with a proposal to end the work stoppage, saying the plan includes several key improvements over the planemaker’s previous offers.

Around 33,000 of Boeing's unionized West Coast workers, most in Washington state, have been on strike since Sept. 13. The work stoppage has halted production of the planemaker's best-selling 737 MAX and its 767 and 777 widebodies.

The US’s top labor official met with leaders of Boeing Co. and striking union workers as the monthlong stoppage takes an increasing toll on the planemaker.

Striking machinists and labor allies packed a union hall in Seattle for a raucous rally with elected officials as the strike against Boeing continues into its second month.

Boeing says it aims to secure up to $35bn (£26.8bn) in new funding from investors and banks as a costly strike by thousands of its workers enters its second month. Also on Tuesday, the union representing more than 30,

Boeing factory workers held a large rally in Seattle to demand a better wage deal, mounting pressure on new CEO Kelly Ortberg to end a bitter strike that has plunged the planemaker further into financial crisis.

Su encouraged negotiations during the stoppage earlier this month involving 45,000 dockworkers on the East and Gulf Coast ports.

Four Democratic lawmakers from the state of Washington this week urged Boeing and the union representing striking machinists around Seattle and Portland, Ore., to resolve the labor dispute. Around 33,