SPEEA will donate up to $99,000 to the hardship fund for members of International Association of Machinists District Lodge 751 members who are on strike against The Boeing Company.

The union’s Executive Board voted Thursday (Oct. 3) night to approve sending $16,500 to the fund every two weeks for the next three months, should the strike last that long.

The money will come out of SPEEA’s reserves.

SPEEA President John Dimas hailed the board’s decision. “Twenty-four years ago, when our union was on strike against Boeing, other labor unions stepped up to provide financial support for our members with donations to our hardship fund,” he said. “We are proud to return the favor today.”

SPEEA’s seven-member Executive Board is elected by union members to set policy and make budget decisions for the union.
The donation comes after Boeing cancelled health insurance coverage for striking Machinists on Tuesday (Oct. 1), a move that was loudly criticized by aerospace industry insiders.

“Boeing leadership has talked for weeks about wanting a ‘reset’ in its relationship with its unionized workforce,” said SPEEA Executive Director Ray Goforth. “Cutting off health insurance for the children and spouses of your employees certainly resets the relationship, but not in a positive way. Truly, it’s a huge step backwards.”

Dimas and Goforth both called on Boeing to return the bargaining table to work out an agreement that meets the needs of Machinists Union members. The two sides haven’t met since Sept. 27.

“Boeing has very real problems with quality, safety, profitability and credibility,” Goforth said. “The first step toward solving all of those problems is getting the Machinists back to work with a collective bargaining agreement that rewards them for the value they create.”

Due to a number of factors, the SPEEA News took a pause this week.

We plan to deliver our next SPEEA News Oct. 11 via print and email.

Ballots went in the mail to the homes of SPEEA Prof members working in Everett district E-15 (40-88, 47-97, 47-147, 47-173 buildings) and Plant II district P-5 (2-122 building) on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Look for the envelope from SPEEA marked ‘Ballot Enclosed.’ Each package includes voting instructions, candidate statements, a ballot, a ballot envelope and a return mailing envelope.

Replacement ballots
If you have not received your ballot by Monday, Sept. 30, email amberm@speea.org for a replacement ballot. Include your first and last name, BEMS ID and preferred email address.

Candidates
Two candidates submitted valid petitions for one position. Their names are listed below in ballot order determined by the Northwest Tellers.

Deadline
Use the postage-paid return envelope to mail your ballot or drop it into the secured ballot box at SPEEA's Tukwila or Everett halls by 12 p.m. (PT), Wednesday, Oct. 9. Ballots arriving after the deadline are not counted no matter the postmark date. Be sure to write your first and last name and employee number on the back of the return envelope for verification purposes.

Check the SPEEA website at speea.org for election results following counting and certification by the Northwest Tellers.

Reminder on campaigning
Federal laws prohibit the use of company or union resources, such as bulletin boards, email or printers, in campaigning. This applies to the candidates and their supporters.

SPEEA’s Executive Board on Thursday unanimously rejected a written request from the Boeing Co. to include engineers and technical workers represented by the union in its planned furloughs of non-union workers.

“We don’t see any compelling reason to change the provisions of our collective bargaining agreement,” said SPEEA President John Dimas. “We rejected the request. Our contracts, with their legally enforceable prohibitions on furloughs, remain in place.”

Rather than conserving cash to cover the mistakes of the past, Dimas said, Boeing management needs to invest in something that can generate future profits – its workforce.

“To repair its balance sheet, Boeing needs to make striking Machinists an offer that would end the current dispute and put them back to work,” Dimas continued. “Boeing financiers can’t generate revenue – that takes unionized Machinists, engineers and technical workers who are on the job, building, certifying and delivering aircraft to paying customers.”

The Executive Board is a seven-member body of union members elected by their peers to set policy for the union.

Earlier this week, Boeing announced that non-union workers at the company will be forced to take one week of unpaid leave each month that the Machinists strike against the company lasts.

It was the wrong move, said SPEEA Executive Director Ray Goforth: “Boeing’s financial problems are largely self-inflicted. Instead of creating some Rube Goldberg furlough scheme to preserve cash, Boeing should give the IAM a contract offer that reflects the value they generate for the company so everyone can get back to building airplanes.”

SPEEA is strongly supporting the striking Machinists Union Districts 751 and W24, which voted 96% to strike against Boeing on Sept. 12.

“The IAM’s success at the bargaining table now will lay the foundation for our own SPEEA contract talks in 2026,” Dimas said. “I encourage members of our union to continue supporting the Machinists, and in particular to volunteer to spend time during your off-work hours standing on picket lines alongside them.”

Click here to read the full press release.

Machinists Union members have voted to strike, starting at 12:01 a.m., Friday, Sept. 13.

The strike -- the first Machinists strike at Boeing since 2008 -- will have a significant impact on SPEEA members' day-to-day work.

 "Our message to members is absolutely do not volunteer to do any work normally done by IAM members," said John Dimas, SPEEA president.

SPEEA members will have to comply if directly ordered by a Boeing manager to do work normally done by Machinists, Dimas acknowledged. "But Council Reps should make sure that all their members know to immediately contact them if this happens."

There are very practical reasons, he said. "As SPEEA members, we don't have the months of training Machinists get to do their work safely. Nor do we have the neessary certifications. So yes, comply, but question your manager about training and safety requirements, and immediately contact your Council Rep."  

SPEEA's contract with Boeing require our union's members to keep coming to work during a work stoppage involving another union. This is a common feature of all Boeing's union contracts in the Puget Sound. When Boeing locked out the Fire Fighters union in May, for example, members of both SPEEA and the IAM were required to keep coming to work.

"The Machinists know that SPEEA members will have to come to work and that means crossing picket lines," Dimas said. "They won't hassle you or egg your car or TP your house. I remember the eight-week strike in 2008, IAM members conducted their strike peacefully and professionally."

Show support:

• If you drive through a gate, honk your horn loudly as you pass the picketers.
• If you walk through a gate, give fist bumps or high fives.
• Make sure you have "SPEEA Supports the IAM" signs for your cars, stickers for your jackets and desk tents for your workstation. All are available at the Everett and Tukwila union halls, or you can download the signs here on our website and print them out at home.



Join the picket lines: If you've got time before or after work (or at lunch), join them out at the gate.

• Be a good guest: Introduce yourself to the IAM picket captain and listen to their instructions.
• Food, water and firewood are always welcome on the picket line.
• We'll have "SPEEA stands with IAM" picket signs and a virtual check-in station for SPEEA volunteers (a sign with a QR code) at the gates as soon as possible.
• To check-in or sign up for strike support, click here.

"It's our hope that The Boeing Company will come back to the table quickly with an offer the Machinists can accept," said Dimas. "Until then, I expect our officers, and Council Reps, Area Reps, and rank and file SPEEA members to continue to show vocal and visible support for our brothers and sisters in the IAM. Their success in the current confrontation will lay the groundwork for all labor unions at The Boeing Company and especially for our own contract talks in 2026."

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. 

The SPEEA Executive Board sent a letter of labor support for affordable housing in Washington state. The letter went to Yes on Initiative 137 Steering Committee.

The Seattle initiative would create a tax on executives who make more than $1 million a year in total compensation. The revenue stream would be bonded to accelerate production of social housing units available to all income levels.

In December 2020, the SPEEA Northwest Council voted to make affordable housing a top legislative priority for our union. This decision reflects our deep commitment to ensuring that our members, their families, and future aerospace workers have access to adequate and affordable housing.

See the SPEEA Executive Board letter of support.

Committees are open to all members and cover a wide range of interests. Interested in politics? Join the Legislative and Public Affairs Committee. Other committees focus on diversity, member activities, new members, women's advocacy, veterans issues and other issues important to members. Attend a meeting to get a feel for the issues and activities. New issues and ideas are always welcome.

Established committees, along with their charter and officers are listed on the committee pages. For more information, attend a meeting or contact one of the committee officers.

SPEEA Committees                        Midwest Committees                    Northwest Committees