Boeing employees in Long Beach near Los Angeles went on strike on Tuesday to press their demand for better medical benefits.

The strike followed the overnight breakdown of negotiations, organizers said.

"We're fed up," said Brian Sullivan, who has worked at the plant since 1985. "The medical issue is the main issue for us. The concessions are too much and the company expected us to take it lying down. We won't."

Boeing employs about 1,700 people in its Long Beach plant, the city's biggest employer, according to the Long Beach Press- Telegram.

Boeing expressed "deep disappointment" at the walkout, describing its latest offer as above industry standards.

"The union has turned down an excellent offer that surpasses local and industry standards," Boeing spokeswoman Cindy Anderson told the Press-Telegram. "The company had hoped to avoid a strike, and instead, continue to focus on meeting the needs of its customers."

The strike is expected to ripple throughout plants and small manufacturers employing thousands of workers in more than 40 states, where C-17 engines and parts are designed and built.

On May 4, nearly 80 percent of striking workers rejected a 46- month labor agreement they felt undermined long-existing worker benefits for employees involved in production of one of Boeing's most popular aircraft.

Boeing has called for a federal mediator to help arbitrate the labor dispute, but the gesture was rejected by the union in the wake of the eleventh-hour talks Monday, the Press-Telegram reported.

The future of the C-17 is uncertain. Boeing plans to end production in mid-2013, though foreign orders could extend the line well past mid-decade.