Last week, those 19,000 employees received bonuses totaling $57 million, about $3,000 apiece.

The bonuses were part of a settlement that ended a 28-day strike by the Machinists at Boeing plants, mostly in Washington state, in late September last year.

Under that deal Boeing must pay the bonuses to workers represented by the union by December 1 this year and next year. The extra money showed up in paychecks a week ago for eligible workers who have been on the Boeing payroll since September 1.

And the way things are going for the company, more will get them next year.

In the two months since September 1, the number of workers represented by the Machinists union on Boeing's payroll in the state has increased by 1,000 to 20,000.