Members of the ground staff watch the inaugural flight of an Air India Boeing 777 as its approaches to land on a new runway at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in New Delhi Aug. 21, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    LOS ANGELES, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Boeing Co. machinists went on strike on Saturday, forcing the company to stop assembling commercial planes, according to local media reports.

    The strike came after contract talks arbitrated by a federal mediator failed to produce an agreement.

    About 100 union members took part in the strike outside the Boeing plant in Everett, north of Seattle to press their demands on issues that include pay, outsourcing, retirement and health care benefits.

    The strikers assemble Boeing's commercial planes and some key components.

    The company said it would not try to assemble planes during the strike.

    This is the machinists' second strike in as many contract negotiations with Boeing. They struck for 24 days in 2005.

    It is estimated that a strike could cost Boeing about 100 million U.S. dollars per day in deferred revenue.

    During the last strike, Boeing was unable to deliver more than two dozen airplanes on schedule.