A total of 36 joined the SPEEA team for the annual Wichita Race for Freedom 5K and fun run. The SPEEA ‘Because People Matter’ team included members, family, friends and virtual participants who donated the registration fee. Race for Freedom is a fundraiser for ICT-SOS, which partners with community groups to help end human trafficking. This year’s fundraiser benefits Family Promise of Greater Wichita. Congratulations to SPEEA team members who placed in their division: Robert Weaver, SPEEA member, who won first place, Clara Lane, SPEEA team member, who won second place, and Kevin Cole, SPEEA member who won third place.
Memorandum of Understanding SPEEA secures bonuses for 737 MAX work in Moses Lake
SPEEA-represented employees who take a temporary assignment in Moses Lake as part of the return to service of the 737 MAX will be in line to receive “completion bonuses” of 10% to 20%, as outlined in a recently negotiated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
“It’s encouraging the company recognizes the need for the experience and expertise in our members to return the MAX to service,” said SPEEA President Joel Funfar. “Given the extended time members will be away from family, these bonuses are appropriate.”
The date for the 737 MAX’s return is still unknown. However, Boeing has publicly announced that preparing the idle aircraft to return to service will require temporarily assigning some SPEEA-represented employees to Moses Lake. The company also plans to hire some temporary employees for the work at Moses Lake. Boeing is currently parking aircraft at Moses Lake and plans to use the facility for work needed to return the 737 MAX to customers.
Bonuses will be paid to employees who complete 6-month assignments as part of the 737 MAX work. A 10% bonus will be paid after six months. An additional 15% bonus is paid during months 7 through 12 and 20% after 18 months.
Boeing has not yet announced what SPEEA job codes will be needed in Moses Lake. When the jobs are announced, interested bargaining unit members will need to volunteer and be accepted for the assignments.
SPEEA 101 at Tukwila Hall
At the recent SPEEA 101, Aug. 20, newer hires learned about the benefits of having a union. SPEEA activists Ron Duprau, Brian Connolly and Behyar Goudarzian made a point of attending the SPEEA 101 to share their perspective. They joined Nikki Wagener and Frank Guglielmo, SPEEA contract administrators, who discussed the contract, members’ workplace rights and how the union works. New Hire and Young Members Committees organize these events to help newer hires gain a better understanding, since many of them have never been in a union. Duprau is chair of the Northwest New Hire Committee and Connolly is vice chair of the Young Members Committee. Connolly and Goudarzian are also Council Reps.
Success for interns!
SPEEA-represented interns may return
to Educational Leave (ELOA)
At Thursday’s Northwest Council meeting, CR’s learned how SPEEA corrected a Boeing error that resulted in Boeing terminating SPEEA-represented interns at the end of their internship instead of allowing them to move to an Educational Leave Of Absence (ELOA).
The success is the result of a grievance filed by SPEEA. Its resolution restores the option of returning to an ELOA, remaining a Boeing employee and keeping the corresponding benefits provided by the SPEEA collective bargaining agreements.
SPEEA is contacting interns and working with the company to inform interns of this option. If you know of an intern who was incorrectly terminated, have them contact Boeing Worklife. They can also contact SPEEA.
Non-Boeing labor Assistance needed for SPEEA grievance
SPEEA has filed a grievance in association with Boeing’s use of Purchased Services (non-Boeing labor) to perform bargaining unit work.
When corporate management refused to provide relevant data associated with our investigation/grievance, SPEEA was also compelled to file an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge with Region 19 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Employees recently received a notice as part of the settlement of the ULP and Boeing has begun to supply SPEEA with the requested information. The grievance is scheduled to be resolved in an arbitration hearing beginning in October.
Now, we need your help in validating claims made by management and/or contained within the provided data.
If any SPEEA members work with representatives from the following companies, we would really like to speak with you. Email PSGrievance@speea.org with your contact information and the best time to reach you.
Purchased Services companies
Altair
Aviation Partners Boeing
Base2 Solutions
Cascade Engineering
Collinear
Cyient
HCL Technologies
Hexagon – Capital Equipment Purchasing
Intrinsic
iSoftStone Inc.
Jana, Inc.
Kaman Engineering
NobleTek
Safran/Labinal
San Juan Software
SeaTec
Sila Solutions
Slalom Consulting
Star Aviation
Techguard
UXC/DXC Eclipse
Non-Boeing personnel
ULP settlement requires Boeing to provide data
SEATTLE – The Boeing Company and SPEEA have agreed to settle a recent Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge SPEEA filed in May. The agreement required a posting that employees recently received, and Boeing must furnish the data requested by SPEEA that led to the charge in the first place.
A year ago, SPEEA requested the data which is relevant to contract administration. After a lengthy delay, misleading and incomplete data, SPEEA filed a grievance and filed the ULP with Region 19 of the National Labor Relations Board. The arbitration on the matter is currently scheduled for this fall.
“Our grievance states Boeing has expanded the use of Contract Labor without adhering to the required process by falsely labeling it as Purchased Services,” said Rich Plunkett, SPEEA director of strategic development. He discussed the ULP in a May 3 SPEEA News article.
“In our investigation, it became apparent local management has a perverse incentive to use Purchased Services over Contract Labor. Organizations are assessed a ‘headcount tax’ for each Boeing employee AND each contractor reporting to that same group. On the other hand, this tax is not levied for individuals coded as Purchased Services,” he said.
“It is unclear how this financial sleight of hand benefits Boeing’s bottom line but is indicative of the sub-optimizing, cost-cutting culture of Boeing today,” he said. “We need the data to understand the full scope of the situation.”
He also pointed out “this clandestine use of non-Boeing personnel is also frequently out of sight of the skill teams – the management group responsible for managing the necessary resident expertise for current and future work.” In SPEEA contracts
SPEEA contracts allow for non-Boeing personnel to perform bargaining unit work on site, but also spell out the associated conditions, definitions and limitations.
Article 1 and Article 22 in the Professional (engineering) and Technical contracts spell out who is represented by SPEEA by virtue of the work performed.
Article 9 in both contracts contains the details relating to non-Boeing labor and the normal reporting requirements. This data is used for forecasting discussions in concert with Article 9 and Letters of Understanding (LOU) 6, 8, 9, 21 and 28.
About non-Boeing labor
Contract Labor – This is technical or engineering personnel supplied to Boeing through a third-party in the business of recruiting and supplying contracted staff to other companies. Contract personnel typically perform Boeing work on Boeing premises and are supervised by Boeing managers.
Purchased Services – This is non-Boeing labor wherein specialized engineering or technical services obtained from an outside company specifically to be used by or incorporated into a product or service. Generally, Purchased Services are contracted to complete defined statements of work.
The application, notification and protections afforded SPEEA members is significantly different for these two categories of non-Boeing labor.
For more information, contact your Council Rep or local SPEEA office. SPEEA has begun a few lunchtime meetings in areas where these individuals are resident in order to better hone our case.
Enthusiasm grows as Seal Beach employees
start signing union cards
Engineer Dave Lawicki signs a union authorization card after attending a meeting.
SEAL BEACH, Calif. – Employees at Boeing Seal Beach are now signing union authorization cards – the next step toward their efforts to gain a voice at work.
Enthusiastic members of CREATE (California Region Engineers and Technical Employees), a potential bargaining unit of SPEEA,
led two informational meetings talking about why they were organizing.
Leaders from SPEEA and IFPTE offered support and encouragement for the campaign during meetings while they started to sign authorization cards to join with SPEEA. “SPEEA is 100% behind you,” said President Joel Funfar. “We really need to make this successful, so you and Boeing are better off.”
IFPTE President Paul Shearon echoed the comments.
“We’re all facts and data people here,” Shearon said. “And the facts and data all point to union-representation being the best way to make improvements that benefit workers and the company.”
At the meetings, employees heard preliminary results from a recent survey that shows rising medical costs, the requirement to work four hours for free before earning pay for working more than the standard work week and the increasing chaotic workplace as major employee issues.
Boeing has sprinkled the Seal Beach workplace with anti-union material saying they are 100% against the union and holding weekly anti-union forums for managers, human resource personnel and administrators.
Follow Seal Beach employees’ efforts on social media and their website at www.create-speea.org.
