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Spirit open enrollment in Wichita, April 24 - May 4
WICHITA – For employees represented by SPEEA at Spirit AeroSystems, open enrollment is April 24 – May 4.

Open enrollment is the only time of the year to make routine changes to your health care plan unless you have a qualified status change during the year. SPEEA-Spirit employees must complete the steps in annual open enrollment, the same as last year, to be covered by a health plan of their choosing along with your dependents. 

Matt Kempf, senior director of compensation and retirement, presented an overview of benefits in the SPEEA-Spirit contracts and answered questions at the SPEEA Wichita office April 9. He will be in Wichita again April 30-May 1.
Lunchtime meeting in Portland
SPEEA hosted a lunchtime meeting in Portland April 17 on ‘Early/Mid-Career Financial Planning 101.’ Oregon Council Reps Emily Brent-Fulps and Ricardo Salve hosted the meeting. SPEEA Senior Director of Compensation and Retirement Matt Kempf gave the overview on how to maximize your 401(k) to about 60.
SPEEA Executive Board vacancy
Petition available for interim NW vice president

Members interested in filling an upcoming vacancy for regional vice president on the SPEEA Executive Board have until 
noon, Wednesday, June 20 to submit a petition.

Election Booklet – Includes the petition, requiring 20 members’ signatures, and important details on written responses from candidates.

Eligibility – Candidates must be a SPEEA member in the Northwest Region and meet the minimum qualification of continuous membership in good standing for the previous 24 months.

Council Reps will vote to fill the vacancy at the Julwhat are you doing today?y 12 Northwest Council meeting. The vacancy is due to a vice president taking a voluntary layoff.

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IFPTE Executive Council
Members to vote for two NW IFPTE SPEEA-Area vice presidents

Members will cast votes for two SPEEA-Area vice presidents on the IFPTE Executive Council.

Ballots went in the mail April 11 to regular members in good standing in the Northwest. The Midwest Region candidate, 
Donna Lehane, ran unopposed for SPEEA-Area vice president.

The ballot package includes candidate statements as well as instructions for voting.

Candidate statements - PDF

Ballots are due by noon, Wednesday, April 25. If you mail it, make sure to allow time for delivery. You can also
drop your ballot off at SPEEA’s Tukwila or Everett halls.

Vote results will be posted here finalized by the Tellers.

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Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
Apply for Northwest Council STEM grant

If you’re a member volunteer working with students on Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Math (STEM), apply for a Northwest Council STEM grant.

The NW Council STEM grants are for non-profit organizations or institutions, with at least one Northwest SPEEA member participating (as a coach, mentor or parent).

STEM education grant application (click here) – deadline Aug. 15

For more information about the program, see Northwest Policy VII: Subsection B.4.

Apply for STEM Grant Review Committee

SPEEA is looking for members to apply for the NW Council STEM grant review committee. The committee meets a few times to review grant applications and make funding recommendations to the NW Council, which votes on the grant allocations.

If you’re interested, email your name and school district to speea@speea.org by July 2.

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Study will examine Washington competitiveness

SPEEA and Machinists District 751 - as part of the Governor’s Choose Washington NMA Council - commissioned Richard Aboulafia, vice president of the Teal Group, to conduct an in-depth analysis of the state’s competitive position to design, manufacture and assemble Boeing’s proposed New Middle-Market aircraft.

The effort was announced Wednesday (Feb. 7) during a conference call with reporters and representatives of the Choose Washington NMA Council. SPEEA and the Machinists, along with business, education, state and local government, are members of the Council.
“We look forward to looking at the data and providing a very clear examination of the state’s strengths and weaknesses,” said Aboulafia.

The study is initially co-funded by the IAM and SPEEA. Council and state officials are working on the broader funding for the Council’s overall efforts, including work related to the study.

“As independent aerospace experts, Aboulafia and his team know what aerospace firms look for when making site decisions,” said Chelsea Orvella, SPEEA’s representative on the Council. “With this study, our unions and the NMA Council are being proactive and tapping into new approaches to secure Boeing’s next plane in Washington.”

As one of the leading aerospace analyst in the world, Aboulafia and the Teal Group are well suited for performing an in-depth analysis of Washington’s engineering and manufacturing facilities, talent pool, supplier network, tax structure and proven success for Boeing.
“They will let us know where we are strong – and I believe we are strong everywhere,” said Jon Holden, president of IAM District 751. “This will be independent and something we can use to improve our environment.”

The study is scheduled for completion in April.

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Eligibility extended two years
Trade Act Assistance available for laid-off Boeing workers

Workers laid-off by The Boeing Company in Washington state through August 9, 2019, are eligible to apply for training, income support, and other benefits through the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program (TAA or "Trade Act").

The eligibility dates were recently extended an additional two years as a result of a petition to the U.S. Labor Department by the International Association of Machinists (IAM), District 751 in partnership with SPEEA, IFPTE Local 2001. 

Laid-off workers will receive a letter detailing the benefits steps to apply for assistance.

Since Washington state extended the aerospace tax preferences (tax breaks) in November, 2013 to Boeing and the aerospace industry with the agreed intent to “maintain and grow Washington’s aerospace workforce” more than 3,500 SPEEA-represented employees have been laid off by the company. The most recent figures from July show that overall Boeing has shed 15,828 jobs from its Washington state workforce since the tax breaks were extended.

Additional information to help members facing layoff is available on the following SPEEA web pages:

Trade Act Benefits Overview     Layoff information Jobs for aerospace workers

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Ed Wells Partnership - Contract benefit
Resume and job-search workshops available
Ed Wells Partnership (EWP) recently added a number of resume and job-search workshops to its list of offerings. The workshops provide information about how to be successful searching for new jobs within Boeing.

Complete information and registration is available on the Boeing intranet http://edwells.web.boeing.com/TransitionResources/.
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