Boeing Engineers, Technicians Reject Contract Proposal, Authorize Potential Strike

Boeing engineers and technical workers have rejected the company’s proposed four-year contracts and voted to authorize a strike if a new deal is not reached before the current agreements expire in October.The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) announced the results Friday. The union represents about 17,000 Boeing workers, mostly in Washington state, including 13,000 engineers and scientists and about 4,000 technicians, analysts, planners, and other specialists.More than 64 percent of members in the Professional unit voted against Boeing’s offer, while about 72 percent of Technical unit members rejected it.Nearly 90 percent of members in both units also voted to give union negotiators authority to call a strike if necessary.The votes do not mean a strike will occur automatically. The existing contracts expire on Oct. 6, and SPEEA said it will continue seeking a new agreement before then.Turnout was high, with about 96 percent of eligible Professional unit members and 93 percent of Technical unit members casting ballots.Boeing’s Contract OfferBoeing’s proposal included an immediate 3 percent wage increase retroactive to Feb. 20, followed by larger annual wage pools over the four-year contract.The compensation pool would increase 7 percent in 2027 and 5.5 percent in each of 2028, 2029, and 2030. Employees would receive annual raises tied to inflation, capped at 3 percent, while the remainder would be distributed largely based on performance.The proposal also included a separate annual fund equal to 0.5 percent of payroll for promotions and other wage adjustments. Boeing said the package represented the largest proposed pay increase for SPEEA members in about 40 years.Other benefits included a one-time 40 restricted Boeing stock units for each employee, a higher target payout under the company’s annual incentive program, three additional days of paid leave, limits on mandatory overtime, and the first increase in overtime premiums for Professional unit members since 1989.SPEEA’s 10-member negotiating team unanimously endorsed the proposal, saying it addressed many of the priorities members had identified and offered meaningful improvements in pay and working conditions.However, the union’s Bargaining Unit Councils were less unified.The Technical unit council recommended that members reject the offer. The Professional unit council did not issue a recommendation because neither side received the 60 percent support required for the council to take a formal position. Both councils recommended that members authorize a strike.Union Seeks New OfferFollowing the rejection, SPEEA said it is surveying members to determine what changes would be needed for them to approve a new contract.The survey will remain open through Aug. 26, after which the negotiating team plans to use the responses to guide its next round of bargaining with Boeing.“Your voices and votes have made clear that the proposed contract terms fall short for members and that negotiations with Boeing must continue,” the union’s negotiating team said.Boeing did not respond to a request for comments by publication.A strike by SPEEA members could create another challenge for the aerospace giant as it works to certify several long-delayed aircraft.Engineers represented by the union are involved in certification work for the 737 MAX 10 and 777-9, both of which are already years behind their original schedules.Boeing has also faced major strikes in recent years. About 33,000 workers who build commercial aircraft in the Seattle area went on strike for seven weeks in 2024 before approving a new contract.The following year, about 3,200 Boeing defense workers in the St. Louis area staged a 101-day strike before approving a five-year agreement in November 2025.