SPEEA Accepts Boeing contract

It’s over–for four years. From SPEEA:

SEATTLE – Technical workers at The Boeing Company have approved a new four-year contract, putting an end to negotiations that have lasted nearly one year.

Votes tallied Monday (March 18) by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001 show Technical workers voted 4,244 to accept and 654 to reject. Union negotiators told members a second rejection would likely result in a strike as Boeing was refusing to move on all issues.

Union members were voting on a contract offer that was identical to the offer the 7,191 Technical workers narrowly rejected and the larger Professional Unit of engineers narrowly accepted on Feb. 19. While engineers and technical workers bargain at the same time, the contracts are separate and independent agreements.

The new contract extends the terms of the previous contract, including 5% annual salary increase pools, no increases to employees for medical coverage and an increase to the retirement benefit. By the end of the new agreement, SPEEA represented technical workers, and also the engineers, will have received eight straight years of 5% salary increase pools, with guaranteed minimum wage increases each year of the contract.

The major area of contention during negotiations was the defined benefit retirement pension plan. While overwhelming member support and workplace action helped union negotiators continually get Boeing to improve most elements of the contract offer, the company steadfastly refused to move away from eliminating the pension for new technical workers hired after March 1, 2013. Like most new employees at Boeing, technical workers and engineers will now receive the company’s “enhanced 401(k)” and not the defined benefit pension.

SPEEA and Boeing started negotiations in April 2012. Technical workers have been without a contract since Nov. 25.

While the majority of covered employees are in the Puget Sound region of Washington state, these   contracts include employees in Oregon, Utah and California.

From Boeing’s Ray Conner:

Techs approve contract offer; SPEEA negotiations conclude

 

Tonight, technical workers represented by SPEEA approved Boeing’s contract offer, bringing to a close negotiations that formally began almost a year ago. In February, SPEEA-represented engineers approved the same offer which is now in place until October 2016.

 

We’re pleased to have settled a contract that rewards SPEEA-represented employees for their contributions to the company’s success while maintaining a superior package of retirement and health care benefits. The contract also establishes a new retirement savings plan for future new hires. The plan is market-leading among our peer companies in the aerospace industry and promotes our competitiveness going forward.

 

The votes by technical workers and engineers in recent weeks will allow us to come together and focus on the challenges and opportunities we face this year. We’re moving forward with an excellent team in place.

 

Ray

7 Comments on “SPEEA Accepts Boeing contract

  1. With about a 60-65 percent turnout this time, its not a surprise after being sold out by so called SPEEA leaders.

    Hopefully, by the time of the next contract – most of the current so called leaders will will be changed for the better, and some of the Staff will be replaced.

    But once the pension issue is lost, that part of the game is over.

    • Don, they weren’t “sold out” by Speea leaders, they had their legs cut out from them by the Profs. It’s over. Quit your whining and move on.

      • BOTH the PROFS and the TECHS were sold out by a combination of 2 STAFF , the President, and a few Negotiators in that SPEEA did not present or have a viable alternative to the 401k plan, and instead used irrational fear mongering re the infinite covered compensation video, some BS about the BA executive plan ( non qualified ) features which never applied to the BCERP ( qualified per IRS and ERISA ) , and some phony manipulation of numbers- sort of like government figures on deficit, employment and cost of living.

        Add to that NO real help from IFPTE except a rabble rousing speech ( cost > 1 Million $$/year ) and an arrogant executive Director speaking out of turn, plus some phony charges to NLRB, and Boeing is chuckling all the way to the Bank.

        To modify an old Winnie Churchill comment- ” Never have so many been hosed by so few ”

        The groundwork for this fiasco started a few years ago when the STAFF mensa and sidekick signed on to a simple 401k provision to add 50 cents fee to everyones plan for a near useless software program to disburse investment types within the choices of ING ( plan administrator ). Only 3 unions fell for it, two small unions and of course SPEEA. IAM turned it down. But SPEEAs version was written up so sloppy that Boeing then stick the same fee on EVERY FORMER BARGAINING UNIT PERSON who still had money in any BA plan- back to the dawning of civili— er SPEEA – member or not !!

        And as they say- the rest is history !!

      • As I said Don, quit your whining and move on. It’s OVER. Done. Finito.

        • Howard :
          As I said Don, quit your whining and move on. It’s OVER. Done. Finito.

          Sorry to break your bubble with FACTS and DATA

  2. The techs finally accepted what seems to be a good contract ; the world is moving away from defined benefits pension and post retirement medical – it is only reasonable that Boeing wanted the new workers to get into defined contribution schemes.
    It is good for all stakeholders in Boeing. I would say,Boeing management ( I am aware, they are not exactly popular here ,deservedly for 787 issues ) got it right.

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