Stavolta a Boeing è andata bene, con un accordo sindacale last minute che minacciava altrimenti l'ennesimo stop al processo di certificazione del 77X oltre che alla produzione di linea.
The new deal takes effect on 7 October.
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SPEEA union members ratify contract with Boeing, preventing strike
The new deal takes effect on 7 October.
Boeing’s unionised technicians and scientists have approved new four-year contracts with the aerospace giant, heading off a threatened strike that could have significantly upset Boeing’s certification work and aircraft production.
The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) said on 1 October that its two Boeing work groups ratified the company’s second proposed contract, a move coming just days before the existing contract’s 6 October expiration.
“We are marching forward to test, design and certify airplanes,” says SPEEA representative Bryan Corliss.
If workers had rejected the deal, they could have gone on strike starting 7 October.
SPEEA represents some 17,000 Boeing employees in two work groups: a “professional” division composed of about 13,000 engineers and scientists, and a “technical” unit of 4,000 analysts, designers and technicians.
Both groups in August voted down an initial contract offer from Boeing. They voted over the last week on whether to approve Boeing’s second offer.
SPEEA says 67% of voting members in its professional division ratified the proposal, while the technical group’s members approved the proposal by a 54% margin.
“We secured many victories that some people thought were completely out of reach when this negotiation cycle started,” says SPEEA’s negotiation team. “All of these gains would not have been possible without your individual actions and our collective strength.”
The four-year contracts will provide workers with 10% wage bumps on 2 October and additional raises of 4% in March 2027 and 6% annually in 2028, 2029 and 2030, SPEEA says. That amounts to a 36% bump over the four years.
“We’re pleased with the outcome of the vote. We look forward to working with our team to support our company’s continued recovery and meeting our customer commitments now and into the future,” says Boeing vice-president and functional chief engineer for production engineering Ben Nimmergut.
Last month, Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg
warned a SPEEA strike would be widely disruptive. It would have forced Boeing to stop 777-9 certification work and to slow 737 Max production, he said.