Boeing's 17,000 engineers and technical workers in Western Washington are one step closer to their largest pay increase in more than 40 years after the union bargaining team unanimously endorsed a four-year contract offer on Thursday, Aug. 6.
The deal between Boeing and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace would deliver a 29.4% compounded wage-pool increase, 40 units of restricted Boeing stock worth more than $9,000 per worker, a 40% bump to the annual incentive bonus target and an immediate 3% raise retroactive to Feb. 20, 2026.
It is the largest wage-pool increase since 1983, according to SPEEA.
For Everett's Paine Field workforce, the contract's path forward now hinges on the Bargaining Unit Councils, which met Thursday evening to decide whether to recommend, reject or remain neutral on the offer before it goes to the full 20,000-member membership across five states. Members must ratify by Aug. 22 for the economic terms to take effect, according to the Seattle Times.
"Our task was simple in principle, but complex in reality," Andrew Ferguson, a SPEEA negotiation team member and associate technical fellow in the engineering unit, said in the union's announcement. "When I look at the final offer Boeing has presented, we have been able to achieve meaningful movement from all of those areas."
The majority of SPEEA-represented workers are concentrated in the Puget Sound region, including at Boeing's Everett widebody plant.
What's in the deal
Beyond wages, the contract would cap mandatory overtime at 112 hours per quarter, down from 144. Workers would gain two extra vacation days and one floating holiday, marking the first paid-leave increase for all members since 1983. Health and dental benefits would improve with no added cost to employees, and upper-level bans on virtual work would be eliminated, requiring managers to provide a business justification for denying remote-work requests.
Boeing also committed to a letter of understanding signaling its intent to keep work in the Pacific Northwest and agreed to twice-annual meetings between the president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes and SPEEA representatives. A new joint safety committee would let members raise concerns without fear of reprisal.
The bargaining team emphasized there are no takeaways in the offer.
Why Boeing moved
These are the first full contract negotiations between Boeing and SPEEA in nearly 14 years; members had twice voted to extend 2013 collective bargaining agreements. The talks come after Boeing's 53-day Machinists union strike in 2024, which ended with a 38% wage increase for 33,000 blue-collar workers at the Renton and Everett facilities.
Aviation analyst Howard Hardee, editor of LeehamNews.com, told the Everett Post on July 31 that Boeing's priority is stability. Firmer financial footing depends on production consistency and increasing 737 MAX output, Hardee said, and a strike by SPEEA engineers would risk delaying certification campaigns for the 737 MAX 10 and the 777-9, both already years behind schedule.
The existing contract expires Tuesday, Oct. 6.
What's next
The BUC recommendation from Thursday's meeting has not been announced. Once the councils issue their position, the offer goes to the full membership for a ratification vote. Details on voting logistics are still being finalized, according to SPEEA.
