Boeing Averts Strike as White-Collar Union Approves Revised Contract

Boeing has secured a new four-year contract with its largest white-collar union after employees approved a revised agreement. The deal avoids a potential strike by thousands of engineers and technical workers, easing concerns over disruption to the aerospace major's aircraft programmes.

The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) represents around 17,000 Boeing employees, including professional and technical workers. According to SPEEA, both bargaining units voted in favour of the new agreement, with 68% of professionals and 53% of technicians backing the deal.

The contract includes a guaranteed 10% wage increase upon ratification, followed by 4% annual increases, as well as additional provisions for work-from-home flexibility, overtime limits, and paid leave. The agreement comes after Boeing's earlier proposal was rejected in August, prompting SPEEA to authorize a strike that could have affected certification work on the 737 MAX 10 and 777-9 aircraft.

The deal aims to rebuild relations between Boeing and its engineering workforce, with SPEEA's negotiating team calling for greater trust between employees and management. The ratification gives Boeing greater certainty around its engineering and technical workforce as it works through delayed aircraft programmes and production challenges.