September 20, 2010

M10-034

 

TO:                   SPEEA Council

 

FROM:              SPEEA Council Officers, Jimmie Mathis (SPEEA Treasurer), Sandra Hastings (E-18), Carolyn Summers (S-14).

 

SUBJECT:        PRE-SUBMITTED NEW BUSINESS:  Approval of the SPEEA Diversity Committee

 

 

Background

 

SPEEA Constitution Preamble:

We, the members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 2001 AFL-CIO, CLC, in order to insure we are treated with dignity and respect, to protect and improve our benefits and working conditions, to enhance our career and economic interests, and to promote a mutually-beneficial relationship with our employer, agree to the principles of collective bargaining and hereby establish this constitution for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.

 

We the members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace hold these principles to be self evident, that all members are to be treated with dignity and respect, that all members shall be treated equally and with fairness, that there shall be accountability at all levels of SPEEA, that our success depends on openness and honesty and integrity, and that we and our employer have a shared destiny.

 

Charter:

To foster diversity within SPEEA and provide an avenue for addressing the problems and issues associated with a lack of understanding of diversity that may lead to discrimination and harassment. Provide information and education to increase members’ understanding. To promote union involvement by all segments of SPEEA members.  

 

 

Committee History:

·         SPEEA represents Boeing employees with very diverse backgrounds. 

·         In 1998, the SPEEA Council charted a committee to be an advocate for all SPEEA represented employees to solicit and define issues unique to diverse employees.  The committee was an advocate for all SPEEA represented employees and to advise the Council and to provide input into SPEEA's negotiations.

·         During 2001, the committee was re-chartered as a Northwest Committee to concentrate their activities around Puget Sound negotiations and organizing to pressure Boeing to offer domestic partner benefits.  The work of the committee significantly helped move Boeing to cover domestic partner benefits in the 2002-2005 Boeing Puget Sound contracts.  Following this success, they determined their specific tasks complete and disbanded.

·         Today, SPEEA leaders and members see a need to reestablish a committee focused on diversity issues.   There is much debate in the country surrounding issues of equality and this is a way SPEEA can take proactive steps to ensure our union is inclusive. 

 

Education and Training:

Most organizations the size of SPEEA have a committee chartered to address diversity issues.   A SPEEA diversity committee can develop proposals to educate and train members and leaders around issues of diversity.  The committee would make proposals to the LD&T, Council, or appropriate body around issues of education and training.

 

Coalition Building:

In the past SPEEA has seen how groups like JwJ (Jobs with Justice), APRI (A. Philip Randolph Institute) and others use Coalition Building in making union support issues a much stronger case. SPEEA has used and will need to use supporting groups to help us in our areas where we may need support.

 

Communicating SPEEA’s inclusive environment:

The AFL-CIO has said “Diversity is our strength … we should be really vigilant about creating opportunities for all of our membership. We lose when we don’t tap into the energy, creativity and innovation of all of our membership.”   Any member of SPEEA should feel their union is one they can participate in regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation or religious belief.  This committee will work in collaboration with the Communications department and appropriate committees to promote a message that SPEEA embraces diversity, is open to all members and is an inclusive organization.

 

SPEEA Policy III-A

1.    General

Preliminary work for consideration of the SPEEA Council should be done by means of SPEEA Council committees.

The SPEEA Council Officers, with the approval of the SPEEA Council, shall establish SPEEA Council Committees as the needs arise.  The committees are defined as Standing, Recurring Standing, Special, or Committee of the whole:

a.     Standing committees shall be chartered with a purpose and budget.

 

2010-2011 SPEEA Council Diversity Committee budget requirements.

Meals:  $12.00 X 10 members = 120.00 X 6 months (October 2010 thru March 2011) = $720.00.

 

Committee meals are funded by the SPEEA Council and no additional funds are required.

 

It is moved that: The SPEEA Council approves THE CREATION OF A DIVERSITY COMMITTEE AS A STANDING SPEEA COUNCIL COMMITTEE.  Its CHARTER IS TO FOSTER DIVERSITY WITHIN SPEEA AND PROVIDE AN AVENUE FOR ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS AND ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH A LACK OF UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY THAT MAY LEAD TO DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT. PROVIDE INFORMATION AND EDUCATION TO INCREASE MEMBERS UNDERSTANDING.  TO PROMOTE UNION INVOLVEMENT IN ALL SEGMENTS OF SPEEA MEMBERS.  It is further moved that THE DIVERSITY COMMITTEE WORK WITHIN THE EXISTING 2010 - 2011 SPEEA COUNCIL BUDGET.

 

It is again further moved that THE SPEEA GOVERNING DOCUMENTS COMMITTEE REVISE SPEEA POLICY TO ADD THE DIVERSITY COMMITTEE TO SECTION III-A.3 STANDING COMMITTEES.