I worked at a different defense contractor/research place with a union and was making a decent chunk of change more than the numbers above without much seniorit

I worked at a different defense contractor/research place with a union and was making a decent chunk of change more than the numbers above without much seniority (not FAANG money, but enough to buy a place in a high COL area). IMO my company's union also did a better job protecting retirement benefits than Boeing's.