Wichita ? Bombardier Aerospace and its striking machinists will put a proposed new contract before workers for a vote today after reaching a tentative agreement last week.

Friday’s breakthrough came two days after Bombardier called in a federal mediator to work out the dispute at its Learjet plant in Wichita.

“Obviously, the fact we had the fact-finding meeting (with the union) and a mediator, those were important developments that led us to this situation,” said Bombardier spokesman Leo Knaapen. “Negotiations were often challenging. Both sides worked diligently and in good faith to work out an agreement.”

Steve Rooney, directing business representative for the union, said the new proposal has an additional half-percent wage increase in the second and third years of the contract, a $1,500 bonus, a cap in insurance premiums, higher contributions to the pension plan and clarified language on overtime and seniority status. The union leadership is recommending that workers approve the agreement.

Rooney said he thought the contract addressed issues brought up by union members.

Montreal-based Bombardier Aerospace has about 4,000 workers in the United States, with 2,300 of them in Wichita. About 1,100 of the Wichita workers are represented by the striking Machinists union.

The strike vote by members came as a surprise to both the union leadership and the company. Union members voted by 80 percent to strike, despite their own negotiating committee’s recommendation to approve the proposed contract. The strike began at 12:01 on Oct. 2, when the last contract expired.

The union argues that the wage increases offered in the company’s previous proposal would not cover the increased health insurance costs.

Union officials also said it had been four years since the last pay raise. Three years ago, workers accepted wage freezes and other concessions because Bombardier needed to cut costs and had threatened to close one or two plants.