SPEEA workers at Boeing split in narrow votes on contract extension

Two bargaining units of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) at Boeing Company will be covered by significantly different collective bargaining agreements for at least the next two years, after engineers voted to accept a four-year contract extension and technical workers voted to reject it. SPEEA is affiliated as Local 2001 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE).

In a March 9 press release announcing the results, SPEEA said engineers approved their agreement by a vote of 3,837  to 3,658. Casting ballots on a similar agreement, technical workers rejected their contract offer by a vote of 1,268 to 1,654.

The contracts cover 12,764 engineers in the professional unit and 4,705 workers in the technical unit. While the majority of covered employees are in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, the contracts also cover SPEEA-represented employees in Oregon, Utah and California.

The result gives engineers a new contract that SPEEA says corrects issues with salary raise pools and provides parental leave and access to Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave program. The new agreement takes effect immediately and runs until Oct. 6, 2026.

Technical workers remain covered by their existing contract, which remains in place until Oct. 6, 2022.

Highlights of the ratified agreement:

• Annual salary adjustment Boeing and SPEEA will establish fixed salary adjustment funds for each year, 2020 through 2026, replacing the prior indexed formula.
• Paid leave Boeing will apply the company’s existing 12-week Paid Parental Leave policy to SPEEA engineers. By virtue of the contract extension, SPEEA engineers in Washington will now also be covered by the Washington Paid Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Health benefits  No change in plan design for medical, dental and vision plans. Beginning 2023, employees’ contributions will be based upon their salary.
• Employee Incentive Plan (EIP) The Employee Incentive Plan target will be raised from 3.85% of eligible earnings to 5% of eligible earnings.