Boeing and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) reached a tentative four-year contract agreement on Friday, September 11, 2026. The deal, which follows the rejection of a previous offer in August, includes wage increases and changes to workplace policies for the company’s engineering and technical staff.
The negotiations occurred as the current labor contract is set to expire on October 6, 2026. SPEEA members, who have not negotiated a new contract since 2012, previously approved contract extensions in 2016 and 2020. In an internal survey following the rejection of Boeing's first offer on August 21, union members identified higher general wage increases as their primary demand.
Under the terms of the new proposal, approximately 17,000 professional and technical unit members would receive a 10% wage increase effective October 16, 2026. This would be followed by annual 4% raises plus merit-based increases from 2027 through 2030. The agreement also includes modifications to work-from-home policies and overtime limits for professional unit members. Ben Nimmergut, Boeing’s vice president and functional chief engineer for production engineering, stated that the offer addresses employee priorities, including immediate wage increases and guaranteed wage pools.
The agreement affects roughly 17,000 professional and technical employees, the majority of whom work in the Seattle area. For these workers, the proposed 10% initial raise and subsequent 4% annual increases address economic pressures; the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the Consumer Price Index for the Seattle area rose 4.5% over the past year. Under the previous 3% offer, union members expressed concern that their pay would not keep pace with inflation. If ratified, employees will see the first pay adjustment in their checks starting mid-October 2026.
These engineers and technicians are responsible for the certification of the 737 MAX 10 and 777-9 jets, both of which are years behind schedule. The union's negotiating team described the deal as a step toward rebuilding the relationship between leadership and union members.
The tentative agreement must now be put to a vote by the SPEEA membership. If the members do not approve the deal by the time the current contract expires on October 6, the union has indicated that its members could go on strike as early as October 7, 2026. The specific dates for the ratification vote were not reported.