Category: SPEEA
SPEEA’s Bargaining Units Recommend Approval for Two Boeing Contracts
By Scott Hamilton • Editor at Large
September 22, 2026
The Bargaining Unit Councils (BUCs) of SPEEA, the union representing Boeing’s engineers and technicians, recommended membership approval of two contracts offered by Boeing.
Boeing is still working toward steadying 737 production at a rate of 47 jets monthly at it facility in Renton, Washington. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
The first contracts were rejected in a vote last month. Both current contracts expire on October 6.
The BUCs, one for each group and contract, recommended approval late this afternoon. Voting for the new contracts begins on Thursday, continuing to noon on October 1. Vote results will be announced that afternoon.
Boeing and the union hope to avoid a strike that could interrupt Boeing’s financial recovery and production ramp-up to the rates in place on March 10, 2019: 52 per month for 737s and 12 a month for 787s. Currently, the company is seeking to stabilize at 47 737s per month and about nine 787s per month. Boeing has yet to achieve stability at that production rate for the 737s at the Renton plant.
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Early Sentiment on Boeing’s Second Offer to SPEEA is Mixed
By Scott Hamilton • Editor at Large
September 21, 2026
Union members’ reaction to the second Tentative Agreement (TA) between SPEEA and Boeing is mixed on social media.
SPEEA is the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, representing engineers and technicians. Each group has a contract with Boeing, negotiated by SPEEA. The current contract expires October 6. The first TA, endorsed by negotiators on both sides of the bargaining table, was overwhelmingly rejected by both union groups, and both endorsed a strike if they don’t reach a new contract before midnight on October 6.
Following rejection of Boeing’s first contract offers, the union’s bargaining units meet this week to review new proposals. Photo credit: SPEEA
So far, comments on Facebook and Reddit by union members are mixed. This contrasts with nearly unanimously negative reactions to the first TA.
Not all members commenting on social media identify their affiliation. Those who do are overwhelmingly technicians.
The objections may be summarized as follows:
- Some members continue to compare the current contract offers unfavorably to the 2024 final contract agreed by the IAM 751.
- A few assert that Boeing merely moved money around in the current offers compared with the original ones that were rejected by wide margins.
- Some say the current offers don’t make up for wage stagnation vis-a-vis past inflation.
A few engineers wrote that they will vote “no” in solidarity with the technicians. One, who goes by the screen name MysteriousAffect3903, is representative.
“I’m a no vote to an almost yes, but still no. My concern is the techs still don’t seem happy, and I don’t want the profs [engineers] to vote yes and the techs no. I’m a prof, voting no out of solidarity. No one has to agree with this or my reasoning, just my take.”
Working to Avoid Strike, Boeing Advances Another SPEEA Offer
By Howard Hardee • Editor
September 14, 2026
In the interest of protecting the slow ramp-up of 737 Max production across its facilities and ensuring that certification progress continues on the Max 10 and 777X programs, Boeing is highly motivated to avoid a workers’ strike.
In fact, a labor disruption is one of the last things the company needs right now.
Yet, the airframer and its white-collar engineers and technicians’ union have so far failed to resolve what initially looked like a fast-moving negotiation process for the union’s next four-year contract.
In late August, both worker groups represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees (SPEEA) voted to reject Boeing’s tentative contract offers. SPEEA’s Bargaining Unit Councils rejected those contracts despite a unanimous approval recommendation from the union’s negotiating teams.
Progress on certification of the long-delayed 777X could be further hindered if Boeing’s engineers go on strike in the Puget Sound area. Photo credit: David McIntosh/AIN
Both sides remain optimistic that a suitable deal will be reached. On Friday, SPEEA’s negotiation team received another “final offer” from Boeing management. The offer includes a 10% guaranteed wage increase effective October 16, along with 6% annual wage pools for 2028-2030, and revised language surrounding work-from-home policies.
The negotiation team noted that the offer does not contain “everything we asked for, but it represents a real step toward improving our pay and work lives and rebuilding the relationship between Boeing leadership and our union’s members.”
While the clock is ticking toward the October 6 deadline—after which point SPEEA-represented workers could strike—the negotiations have been notably free of outright acrimony. Contrasted with management’s hostile tactics employed prior to CEO Kelly Ortberg’s tenure—and despite lingering resentment over past contracts—the negotiations appear to be proceeding in good faith, with both sides noting a collaborative tone.
The next few weeks of negotiations are critical because a SPEEA strike could further delay the Max 10 and 777X programs, both of which remain without FAA type certificates several years behind schedule.
(Updated with statements:) Engineers, Technicians reject Boeing’s “Best and Final Offer”; authorize strike; talks to resume
By Scott Hamilton
Aug. 21, 2026, © Leeham News: Engineers and technicians represented by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) soundly rejected contracts their negotiating teams unanimously recommended after talks that the teams and Boeing praised for collaboration, civility and outcome.
Engineers rejected the tentative agreement (TA) by a 64.3% vote. The technicians voted down the TA by 71.9%. Both groups approved a separate ballot authorizing a strike if contracts are not approved by Oct. 6, when the current contracts expire. The engineers’ strike authorization was approved by 87.9%; technicians voted 89.7% in favor of a strike.
SPEEA Solidarity? Not so much. The two groups represented by SPEEA voted to reject the contracts negotiated by the “teams in solidarity.” Credit: SPEEA.
Pontifications: Lingering Resentment Overhangs SPEEA Vote; Contract Defeat Seems Likely
By Scott Hamilton
Aug. 12, 2026, © Leeham News: Lingering resentment over past contracts, comparisons with the 2024 IAM 751 contract, and poor communications appear to contribute to reasons the Bargaining Unit Councils (BUCs) of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) voted against the tentative agreement (TA) between the union and Boeing.
SPEEA has two BUCs: one for the professional engineers and one for technicians whom SPEEA represents with Boeing. Last month the union and the company agreed to a new contract. The present one expires on October 6.
SPEEA’s Bargaining Unit Councils debate the Boeing contact offer. The BUC for the technicians recommended rejection of the contract. The engineers’ BUC didn’t meet the 60% super-majority threshold to make a recommendation–but 58% of the vote was for rejection. Both BUCs approved inclusion of a strike authorization vote. Credit: SPEEA.
Under SPEEA’s bylaws, the BUCs must review proposed contracts. Each BUC decides whether to recommend approval or rejection of the TAs to the rank-and-file members. A 60% vote is required before a recommendation can be made. The technicians’ BUC obtained this supermajority and recommended against approval. The professionals’ BUC fell a few votes short of the supermajority and made no recommendation. However, LNA learned that 58% of the vote was against approval. Both BUCs voted to authorize a strike vote.
On-line voting begins August 13 and must be completed by noon on August 21. Based on interviews and social media comments, it appears the TAs will be rejected, and a strike will be authorized if no contract is approved by October. 6.
The last time SPEEA struck was in 2000. Members walked the picket lines for 40 days.
Updated: Bargain Unit Councils give thumbs down to SPEEA contracts recommended by negotiators
By Scott Hamilton
Aug. 6, 2026, © Leeham News: The Bargaining Unit Councils (or BUCs) of Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) today did not recommend approval of the new contract unanimously recommended by the negotiating teams that union members approve the contract negotiated with Boeing.
A vote is expected before Aug. 21, the date by which some incentives in the contract to prompt a Yes vote expire. No date was set today.
Boeing’s factory in Everett, Washington. Photo credit: Jennifer Buchanan/Seattle Times/Pool
In a statement, SPEEA said:
Both the Prof and Tech Negotiation Teams recommended the contract offer.
The Prof BUC vote did not meet the 60% threshold to issue a recommendation.
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- The Tech BUC voted to recommend members reject the offer.
- Both BUCs voted to add a strike authorization vote to the contract vote ballot and recommended members vote to authorize a strike if called by the Negotiation Team.
- Both BUCs also voted to allow the contract vote to be conducted online.
The BUCs’ decisions are a blow to the negotiators, who praised not only the tentative agreement but also the collaborative tone of the contract talks with Boeing.
This has been the pattern of recent talks. Initially, the 2024 tentative agreement between Boeing and the IAM 751 was touted by both sides as the best contract ever offered. The 751 leadership endorsed the contract, but later distanced themselves from it after members made it clear on social media that they didn’t like the agreement. Boeing made three more offers, but members rejected the contract and struck for 53 days.
At Boeing’s Defense unit, the same thing happened with a different IAM District, No. 837. These members walked out for more than 100 days.
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- Is the new SPEEA contract a watershed? Yes and No
- Boeing and SPEEA reach tentative agreements on new contracts (2026)
- Boeing, SPEEA optimistic over contract talks, so far (2026)
- Despite some turbulence, SPEEA sees progress under Ortberg (2026)
- A sea-change for Boeing (2016)
- Muilenburg’s blessing cleared way for SPEEA contract (2016)
- Boeing, SPEEA reach contract accord months ahead of schedule (2016)
SPEEA represents engineers and technicians at Boeing. Each group has its own contract, and each must vote on whether to accept it.
Is the new SPEEA-Boeing contract a watershed? Yes and no
By Scott Hamilton
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Aug. 3, 2026, © Leeham News: The quick outcome of reaching a tentative agreement between Boeing and its engineers/technicians union, SPEEA, was done in lightning speed, as contract negotiations go: just four weeks, meeting every day. By the end of July, the meetings were about 14 hours a day.
The current contract doesn’t expire until Oct. 6. Both sides praised the tentative agreement. They also praised a new atmosphere of collaboration during contract talks, rather than the historical adversarial process that dominated previous negotiations.
There are two contracts, one for each group represented by SPEEA: the engineers and the technicians. It will likely be a week or two before the tentative agreements are put to the groups for a vote.
Kelly Ortberg became CEO of The Boeing Co. in August 2024. One of his goals was to “reset” labor relations. This SPEEA contract may go a long way toward doing so. Credit: Boeing.
When Kelly Ortberg assumed the office of Boeing’s CEO in August 2024, he said one of his goals was to “reset” labor relations. The unions had been under siege since the 1997 merger between Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. CEO Jim McNerney (2005-2015) essentially declared war on the IAM 751 touch-labor union, which went on strike for 57 days in 2008.
Ortberg assumed his office with 34 days to go before 751’s contract expired. The union went on strike for 53 days. A different IAM local in St. Louis, at Boeing’s defense unit, walked the picket lines for more than 100 days this year. In between, other union contracts were agreed without strikes.
These SPEEA contract negotiations were seen as Ortberg’s make-or-break opportunity to reset labor relations.
Is this early, collaborative outcome a watershed event? Yes and no.
Related stories
- Boeing and SPEEA reach tentative agreements on new contracts (2026)
- Boeing, SPEEA optimistic over contract talks, so far (2026)
- Despite some turbulence, SPEEA sees progress under Ortberg (2026)
- A sea-change for Boeing (2016)
- Muilenburg’s blessing cleared way for SPEEA contract (2016)
- Boeing, SPEEA reach contract accord months ahead of schedule (2016)
Boeing, SPEEA optimistic over contract talks, so far
Open to All Readers
By Scott Hamilton
July 21, 2026, © Leeham News: It’s a major change from the labor war that permeated contract talks in the past between Boeing management and its unions. Both sides are expressing optimism and a markedly improved atmosphere in early talks for the new contract for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA).
The contract expires on Oct. 6. So far, talks have not included economic issues. Boeing’s opening monetary offer is expected within the coming weeks.
“We’ve made good progress so far and look forward to a deeper conversation with SPEEA this week on pay and benefits. We’re working toward a highly competitive offer that respects our team and the important work they do,” Boeing said in a statement LNA.
Rich Plunkett, a SPEEA representative, quipped, “We haven’t thrown things at each other” in the meetings held so far.
Plunkett called the talks collaborative and praised the Boeing negotiators as willing to listen to all the topics raised by SPEEA negotiators—unlike recent history. The talks so far reflect the Boeing of the 1990s, he said.
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Plunkett said. “It’s not a done deal, but I’m truly excited to see the greater interaction with them.”
Plunkett and Boeing acknowledged that the economic and job security issues have not been discussed yet. This will be when the rubber hits the road.
Boeing’s opening offer to SPEEA imminent
By Scott Hamilton
July 19,2026, © Leeham News: Boeing’s opening offer to its engineering and technicians union may come as early as this week, three people with knowledge of the company’s plans tell LNA. The opening offer also could come within two weeks. The situation is fluid, LNA is told.
The current contract with The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) expires on Oct. 6. SPEEA and Boeing entered into discussions last month over non-economic topics. Some topics, like days off, have economic implications, but wages, benefits and retirement topics haven’t been discussed.
SPEEA leadership told its membership about the opening discussions of matters of “interest” as they began. The leadership painted a positive picture of this development and since then.
Boeing also views these early talks positively. The company is hopeful that an agreement can be reached well in advance of the contract’s expiration.
Boeing has contingency plans in place if talks appear to be difficult and the outcome is uncertain. But gearing up activating these plans costs money the company would rather not spend.
An early and successful agreement would be a step in resetting labor relations at Boeing, a goal articulated by CEO Kelly Ortberg when he assumed his position in August 2024. Then, the labor contract with Boeing’s largest union, the IAM 751, was 34 days from expiring. Negotiations were difficult and despite reaching an agreement with 751’s negotiators, the membership rejected the contract in a landslide vote. A 53-day strike followed.
SPEEA optimistic to Boeing’s response in coming contract negotiations
By Scott Hamilton
June 30, 2026, © Leeham News: SPEEA, the engineers and technicians union for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said last week that the company’s response to its proposals in this year’s contract negotiations has been positive.
“Our Negotiation Team is making solid progress for our union’s members,” SPEEA told its members.