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Boeing Avoids Engineering Strike After 17,000 Approve Contract

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 11:13 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Boeing Avoids Strike

Boeing avoided an engineering strike after 17,000 engineers and technicians approved a four-year contract.
The contract provides an immediate 10% raise, 4% annual increases and a total 34% wage boost over four years.
It adds improved health care, retirement benefits, two extra vacation days, a floating holiday and three bereavement days.
Avoiding the strike enables Boeing to pursue certification of the 777 and 737 Max 10 programs.

Summary

Union Demands Engineer Focus

SPEEA says members must work with Boeing to rebuild decades-long eroded trust and restore engineers to core.
The union urges Boeing to put aerospace professionals and technicians “at the center of Boeing’s universe” moving forward.
Boeing’s 737 MAX crisis, sparked by 2018-2019 crashes, exposed safety and quality problems blamed on profit-focused leadership.
Vice President Ben Nimmergut says the agreement supports Boeing’s continued recovery and meeting customer commitments.

History

Historical Context

The International Association of Machinists secured a 10 % hourly raise in a 1948 Seattle strike that protected seniority at Boeing. In 1979, 5,000 IAM members walked out for 12 days at Boeing’s Everett plant, also winning a 10 % wage increase—the company’s largest to date. These bouts show IAM’s enduring influence on Boeing’s labor terms.

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Boeing Avoids Strike

Boeing avoided an engineering strike after 17,000 engineers and technicians approved a four-year contract.
The contract provides an immediate 10% raise, 4% annual increases and a total 34% wage boost over four years.
It adds improved health care, retirement benefits, two extra vacation days, a floating holiday and three bereavement days.
Avoiding the strike enables Boeing to pursue certification of the 777 and 737 Max 10 programs.

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