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.

Machinists at Boeing, on strike for over a month, are in indirect talks with the company facilitated by Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su. The workers demand better wages and pension terms, while Boeing has faced production halts and is planning job cuts and financial measures to manage ongoing challenges.

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.

Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su flew to Seattle Monday in hopes of getting striking Boeing machinists and company officials back to the bargaining table, as the strike enters a fifth week for 33,

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 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.

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,

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,