Boeing and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) will resume contract negotiations on September 8, following the union’s rejection of the company’s proposed four-year agreement.
The development was announced by SPEEA on Monday, after representatives of both sides met. The union represents engineers and technical workers at Boeing in Washington and other states.
SPEEA members rejected Boeing’s contract proposal on August 21, with engineers voting 64 percent against the tentative agreement and technical workers voting about 72 percent against it. The union’s roughly 17,000 members also voted to authorise a strike if an agreement is not reached before the current contract expires on October 6.
An internal survey of nearly 13,000 SPEEA members identified higher guaranteed general wage increases as their top priority for the next offer. Other priorities included improved performance-based raises and better annual cost-of-living adjustments.
The renewed negotiations come amid growing concern over a potential work stoppage that could affect Boeing’s engineering and certification programmes. SPEEA members are involved in work supporting the certification of the delayed 737 MAX 10 and 777-9 aircraft. A strike could therefore put further pressure on Boeing’s already stretched production and certification timelines.
Boeing has also begun contingency planning, including posting contractor positions for engineering and technical roles, although the company has said its objective remains reaching an agreement with SPEEA before the current contract expires.
A Boeing spokesperson said the company was looking forward to considering SPEEA’s feedback and reaching a resolution that would work for its employees while keeping the company and workforce competitive.
The September 8 meeting will therefore be closely watched as both sides seek to bridge differences over pay and other contractual issues and avert another major labour disruption at the aircraft manufacturer.