SPEEA members approve Boeing contracts with 10% raises after rejecting earlier offer

Members of SPEEA’s Professional and Technical bargaining units ratified Boeing’s four-year contract offers Thursday, securing 10% wage increases effective Friday.

SPEEA IFPTE Local 2001 represents about 17,000 engineers, scientists, and technical workers. Most work at Boeing facilities in western Washington, with some in Oregon, California, and Utah.

The approval follows both groups’ rejection of Boeing’s earlier offer on Aug. 21, when more than 88% supported strike authorization.

SPEEA contract vote results

“Members of the Prof Unit, which represents nearly 13,000 engineers and scientists, approved their contract with a 67.6% yes vote, 7,895 to 3,780,” a joint news release stated. “Members of Tech Unit, which includes more than 4,000 analysts, designers, technicians and other specialists, approved their contract with a 53.5% yes vote, 2,061 to 1,793.”

Over the life of the newly ratified contract, SPEEA projects engineer pay at Boeing will rise from $152,000 to $208,000. Under the offer rejected in August, it would have been $197,000. For the average technician, SPEEA said pay is projected to increase from $119,000 to $163,000, compared with $154,000 in the earlier proposal.

The new contract also drops the limit on mandatory overtime from 144 hours per quarter to 96 hours for engineers and 112 hours for technicians. Workers will also get three additional days of annual paid leave and stronger remote work provisions, according to the release.

“We’re pleased with the outcome of the vote,” Ben Nimmergut, Boeing vice president and functional chief engineer for production engineering, said. “We look forward to working with our team to support our company’s continued recovery and meeting our customer commitments now and into the future.”

Boeing contracts include wage increases, additional paid leave

In addition to the 10% wage increases effective Friday, the workers will receive an additional day of paid leave, which must be used by the end of the year.

“All workers will receive another 4% wage increase in March,” the release stated. “Wage pools will increase 6% in 2028, 2029 and 2030, with each SPEEA-represented worker receiving a guaranteed 4% increase, while the remaining 2% will be paid out based on management evaluation of individual performance.”

The SPEEA Negotiation Team said in a joint statement that it secured victories some thought out of reach.

“All of these gains would not have been possible without your individual actions and our collective strength,” the release stated.

Why SPEEA members rejected Boeing’s earlier offer

Members rejected Boeing’s Aug. 21 offer by wide margins. In that vote, 92% of eligible union members participated.

The Professional Unit rejected its proposed contract 64.3% to 35.7%, with 7,238 voting no and 4,027 voting yes. The Technical Unit rejected its contract by an even wider margin of 71.9%, with 2,795 voting no and 1,094 voting yes.

The rejection came despite SPEEA’s negotiation team unanimously endorsing Boeing’s proposals for both units. The union said deep mistrust of Boeing management drove the vote, despite a proposed 29.4% pay increase over four years — the largest wage-pool increase for SPEEA members since 1983.

Boeing’s earlier offer also included three extra days of paid leave annually, lower limits on mandatory overtime, more opportunities for virtual work, and a joint labor-management committee on the use of artificial intelligence. Members rejected the entire package.

The disconnect became clear as the negotiation team began presenting that proposal to the broader membership. The Technical Unit’s Bargaining Unit Council voted to recommend rejection, while the Professional Unit’s Bargaining Unit Council did not reach the 60% supermajority required to recommend a vote for or against the proposal.

KIRO Newsradio has reached out to Boeing for comment.