Boeing avoids strike as engineers approve new four-year contract

On October 1, 2026 members of SPEEA, the union representing Boeing's engineers and technical workers in the Pacific Northwest, voted to accept new four-year contracts, averting a strike that could have begun the following week. The professional unit approved its deal with 67.62% in favour, while the technical unit passed its contract with a narrower 53.48%. The agreements deliver a 10% ratification wage increase, annual raises of 4%, and merit bumps of up to a further 6%. The vote came after an earlier offer was rejected and strike authorisation granted, leaving Boeing exposed just two years after a seven-week machinists' walkout. Keeping the engineers at their desks is crucial for the long-delayed certification of the 777-9 widebody and 737 MAX 10, both central to Boeing's commercial recovery and backlog of hundreds of billions of dollars in orders.