WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday said he believes both sides want to reach an agreement in the labor dispute at Boeing in which 30,000 striking machinists have halted production of its best-selling 737 MAX and other airplanes.

“I do believe that both parties want to get to a resolution here, and hoping to see one that makes sense for the workers and it works for a company that really needs to find its way forward on so many fronts,” Buttigieg told CNBC in an interview. Other airlines as well as the Biden administration are watching the situation closely, he added.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Doina Chiacu)