The vehemence of workers over wages and other issues caught the company and union leaders off guard. When thousands of Boeing employees rejected a new labor contract, precipitating a strike that began on Friday, they were at odds not just with management but also with the leaders of their union, who backed the proposed deal.

At the heart of the Boeing strike that began Friday is a story about what happens when penny-pinching executives lose the plot and it falls to workers to get everyone back on track.

The airplane maker already faces a host of serious challenges as it tries to repair a broken safety culture. The strike and union demands for higher wages further darkens its bleak financial situation.