Key facts
- Boeing's white-collar union, SPEEA, approved a new contract offer.
- The approval averts a potential strike scheduled for the following week.
- The contract secures an immediate 10% wage increase for approximately 16,000 employees.
- Employees will see at least an 18% cumulative salary increase over the next two years.
- Average engineer salaries are expected to increase from $152,000 to $208,000.
- Average technical employee salaries are expected to rise from $119,000 to $163,000.
Boeing's largest white-collar union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), announced that its members approved a new contract offer, averting a potential strike. The agreement, approved by roughly 16,000 employees on Thursday, October 1, 2026, includes an immediate 10% wage increase starting Friday for engineers, scientists, designers, analysts, and other technical personnel. Union members had previously rejected an earlier proposal in August, which had raised the possibility of a work stoppage.
Under the newly approved terms, employees will receive at least an 18% cumulative salary increase over the next two years. Average annual salaries for engineers are projected to rise from $152,000 to $208,000, while average salaries for technical employees are expected to increase from $119,000 to $163,000. The majority of these employees are located in Washington, with workers also in Oregon, California, and Utah.
Representatives from both technical and professional units described the vote as a positive step toward restoring labor-management relations. Kevin Boyd, a Boeing equipment and tool design employee, stated, "This is the foundation of how we build forward, how we build that relationship back with Boeing that we used to have." However, some union representatives acknowledged that certain priorities were not fully addressed. Alex Phillips, a Boeing product security engineer, noted, "There is still more work to be done... But there is [sic] efforts we didn't actually achieve our goal on. The main one, I think, the members were clamoring for was outsourcing protections."
In a statement, Boeing expressed satisfaction with the contract's passage, saying, "We're pleased with the outcome of the vote. 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."