Boeing Engineers Reject Contract Offer Amid Wage Concerns

Boeing engineers and technical workers overwhelmingly rejected the US planemaker's four-year contract offer. The 17,000 members of SPEEA, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, voted against the tentative agreement by a significant margin.

The engineers voted 64 percent against the offer, while the techs were about 72 percent against. This means that Boeing will now implement its strike contingency plan and divert funds from investing in its SPEEA-represented team to prepare for a potential strike.

Boeing's vice president and functional chief engineer for production engineering, Ben Nimmergut, said the company has no choice but to implement its contingency plan due to its responsibility to its workforce and customers. The union plans to survey members to see what it will take to approve a four-year contract with Boeing.

SPEEA members feel that the wage increases offered were not high enough to keep up with the cost of living in Seattle, where most SPEEA members work. They cited that capping inflation-based raises at 3 percent would nearly guarantee their salaries fall behind inflation, especially considering the Consumer Price Index rose 4.5 percent over the past year.

The offer included wage increases tied to inflation and individual performance, as well as other unspecified metrics determined by Boeing. SPEEA members have not negotiated a new contract for its Northwest members with the company since 2012.