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Posted 11/04/2024
SPEEA statement on IAM vote to approve contract offer | Nov. 4

SPEEA congratulates members and staff of Machinist Union Districts 751 and W24 for their contract win. Machinists Union members tonight accepted Boeing’s latest contract offer.

“We look forward to seeing you at work,” said SPEEA President John Dimas.

Posted 11/01/2024
SPEEA announces tentative agreement with Spirit AeroSystems

WICHITA, Kan., -- The bargaining team for SPEEA’s Wichita Engineering Unit has reached a tentative agreement with management at Spirit AeroSystems on a new four-year contract.

The agreement would increase the amount of money available for wage increases for Spirit engineers by at least 19% over four years – with provisions for greater increases if needed to keep up with labor market conditions.

The deal also includes a guaranteed minimum 5% bonus in the spring of 2025 and raises the amount Spirit will contribute to the vast majority of workers’ 401(k) retirement funds in 2026.

The union’s negotiating team recommends acceptance, saying the draft agreement addresses the priorities identified by members of SPEEA’s Wichita Engineering Unit.

“While negotiations always involve give and take, the team unanimously recommends the offer based on the significant improvements in key areas, including wages, benefits and work-life balance,” said Rich Plunkett, SPEEA’s director of strategic development and the lead spokesperson for the negotiating team.

Along with the improved pay and retirement benefits, the draft agreement would also improve time off for vacations or sick leave and paid leave for new parents. It also includes a letter of understanding defining a new quality partnership between Spirit, SPEEA and the Federal Aviation Administration, and a second letter that would assist in preventing retaliation against engineers who report quality or safety problems.

The contract would cover more than 1,000 engineers at Spirit’s Wichita site. SPEEA also represents more than 1,600 professional and technical workers at Spirit. They work under a separate contract that expires in January 2026.

Talks between SPEEA and Spirit management began Sept. 17. The two sides resumed negotiations this week after a three-week pause.

Next steps

SPEEA will conduct a mail-in vote on the offer. Ballots will be mailed to union members on Nov. 14 and will be due back by Nov. 25. Only dues-paying members will be able to vote.

The union will post the complete contract offer on its website next week for members to review. It will hold lunchtime meetings to discuss details starting the week of Nov. 18.

Read the offer highlights

Posted Oct. 21, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions about layoffs

In response to Boeing’s pending layoffs, SPEEA is sharing Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) related to the Prof and Tech contracts.

Click here for the FAQ

SPEEA Contract Administrators are working with Council Reps to host lunchtime meetings. In addition, SPEEA staff will put a video recording of the presentation online soon.

Have more questions?
Contact your district’s Council Rep. Not sure who your Council Rep is? Click here. Don’t have a Council Rep? Email your questions to speea@speea.org and note your BEMSID.

Posted Oct. 18, 2024
SPEEA statement on Spirit AeroSystems’ furlough announcement

At this point, we don’t know of any direct impact to the jobs of any SPEEA-represented employees at Spirit AeroSystems. We have reached out to Spirit management to clarify some points of this morning’s announcement, and we are closely monitoring developments.

Our contract with Spirit does allow for shortened work weeks, but not furloughs, which are temporary layoffs.

The Boeing strike does add another element of uncertainty to our talks with management at Spirit toward a new contract for members of our Wichita Engineering Unit. However, we remain committed to working out a new deal that rewards Spirit engineers for their contributions to thecompany and ensures that our employer will be able to attract and retain top-tier talent. We expect to return to negotiations the week of Oct. 28.

SPEEA President John Dimas said the Spirit furlough announcement “actually represents yet another failure by Boeing management.

“Instead of presenting the Machinists Union members in Seattle and Portland with a contract that reflects the value they create for the company, Boeing has decided to keep the union on strike, which will have cascading impacts on Spirit and other companies throughout the industry,” Dimas said. “This not only has jeopardized the Boeing Co.’s future competitiveness, it also puts at risk our nation’s aerospace industry supply chain.”

Prof and Tech contract benefits
Want to know more about retentions, layoff benefits and level upgrade appeals?

In response to Prof and Tech members’ questions, here is information about related contract benefits.

•		Retention ratings and layoff benefits – Under the terms of Boeing’s contracts with SPEEA, managers issue retention ratings each year. The ratings are used to determine the order of SPEEA members leaving the company in the event of a layoff. SPEEA’s contracts also define layoff benefits. Click here for a link to the presentation on “Understanding Retention Ratings.” Toward the end of the PowerPoint, look for information on layoff benefits.
•		Job level upgrade issues – The SPEEA Prof and Tech contracts have an appeal process if a job level upgrade has been denied. If a manager has denied a level upgrade because of a ‘freeze’ or other reason, contact your Council Rep who will follow up with the appropriate Contract Administrator on SPEEA staff. Not sure who your Council Rep is? Click here. Don’t have a Council Rep? Email your questions to speea@speea.org and note your BEMSID.

Posted 10/11/2024
SPEEA statement on Boeing announcement about pending layoffs

In response to today’s (Oct. 11) message to all Boeing employees from CEO Kelly Ortberg, SPEEA issued the following statement:

Rather than resolve the IAM strike and focus the company’s resources on rebuilding the trust of regulators and customers, Boeing leadership has decided to harm every aspect of the company,” said SPEEA Executive Director Ray Goforth. “This doesn’t inspire confidence that there’s an actual plan to save Boeing from its self-inflicted wounds.”

Our union has reached out to Boeing for details about how this latest management misstep will affect our members who do the work that generates the company’s profits. Our contract defines a specific process for layoffs, which includes cash severance payments for those leaving the company as well as a minimum of three months of continued health insurance benefits. We note that under federal law, Boeing will have to give our members 60 days’ notice of any layoff.

Member Mondays
Kicking off ‘Why SPEEA’ member testimonials

Each week, SPEEA’s social media will feature a Wichita member sharing why they became dues-paying members.

Why Wichita
SPEEA is initially focusing this social media campaign on the Midwest to help build momentum with the Wichita Engineering Unit (WEU) negotiations and the pending Boeing buyout of its former Wichita manufacturing site.

Look for new posts each Monday on SPEEA’s social media sites.

Interested in sharing why you joined SPEEA? Email speea@speea.org.

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