Boeing and SPEEA negotiators have put a proposed four-year contract in front of union leadership after weeks of talks, setting up a vote for roughly 17,000 aerospace professionals. The deal is a major step toward labor peace in Puget Sound, but it is not yet a ratified contract—and the fine print is still under wraps.
The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace received two offers: one covering about 13,000 engineers and scientists, and another covering roughly 4,000 technicians, analysts and planners. Both SPEEA negotiation teams are endorsing the proposals, saying they deliver “real and meaningful value” along with improvements to work-life balance, according to SPEEA.
The negotiations began July 1 and marked a full bargaining process rather than a simple contract extension. Boeing’s official negotiations page says the current contracts remain in effect until Oct. 6, meaning the latest offer does not immediately eliminate the possibility of a work stoppage.
Union Councils Will Review The Offer First
SPEEA’s professional and technical bargaining unit councils are scheduled to review the proposals next week and issue recommendations to members. The councils can also call for a strike authorization vote, although SPEEA says no strike could occur before the existing contracts expire on Oct. 6, according to the union.
This was the first full contract negotiation between Boeing and SPEEA in nearly 14 years, The Seattle Times reported. Boeing executive Ben Nimmergut said the offer is intended to put the company’s aerospace workforce among the “market leaders” for pay and benefits, a promise likely to receive close scrutiny from employees in one of the country’s most expensive aerospace hubs.
Machinists’ Deal Sets A High Bar
Boeing’s professional employees are also looking over the shoulder of last year’s machinists’ settlement, which included a 38% wage increase over four years after an eight-week strike. The agreement covering 33,000 members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers raised expectations across Boeing’s unionized workforce, as The Associated Press reported.
For Seattle-area Boeing workers, the next big question is no longer whether negotiators can reach a package, but whether members believe the package is strong enough to ratify. Until the councils recommend a path and workers cast their ballots, Boeing and SPEEA have a tentative deal—not a finished contract.
