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<< Previous   of   Next >> Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Boeing Machinists and union members cheer on union officials July 16 at KeyArena in Seattle. The Machinists were making a preliminary vote on the possibility of strike over the renewal of contract this year. Kevin Nortz / The Herald  (click to enlarge) Boeing Machinists District 751 President Mark Blondin speaks to union members at KeyArena on July 16.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Mike Benbow, Business Editor benbow@heraldnet.com   Published: Monday, July 21, 2008 Boeing workers gauge prospects as union talks near By Michelle Dunlop Herald Writer EVERETT -- The Boeing Co.'s unions will go into contract talks with the company later this year with a few recent negotiations with other aerospace companies under their belts. Chicago-based Boeing will sit down with its Machinists and engineers unions in the Puget Sound in the next few months to discuss new labor contracts. The Machinists and engineers unions each represent aerospace workers at other companies. Their ability to negotiate good contracts with others in the industry speaks to how well the unions will do with Boeing. Boeing's Machinists voted last week to give their negotiators strike authority if the union and company can't reach an agreement on a new 3-year contract by early September. Machinists aerospace coordinator Mark Blondin updated local district members at the strike rally on contracts recently negotiated by the union. This year, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have won 9 percent to 13 percent wage increases over multi-year contracts for their members, Blondin said. And the union has held its own on pension improvements. When it comes to Boeing, "we want more, and we can get more," Blondin said. The Machinists haven't been as successful as they would have liked in at least one recent negotiation. International president, Tom Buffenbarger, described talks with Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems as "disappointing." The Wichita, Kan.-based aerospace company gave only "minimal" increases at the mid-contract wage negotiation with the Machinists in 2008. Buffenbarger said that Machinists in Wichita were "not happy" with Spirit and suggested their discontent will make for a tough negotiation of their full contract in 2010. The Machinists represent roughly 24,000 Boeing workers in the Puget Sound region. The labor group's contract with the company expires Sept. 4. Earlier this year, the Society for Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace negotiated a new 3-year contract with BAE Systems for its members in Irving, Texas. A small unit of SPEEA with about 90 people, about 80 percent of the Irving members voted to approve the SPEEA-negotiated contract. The contract gives members bonuses of $1,000 each and another $500 next January. SPEEA members received a health plan that requires them to pay less than nonunion BAE workers. BAE agreed to a 75 percent match of the first 8 percent of 401(k) contributions. Additionally, the union negotiated a monthly retirement increase from $45 to $50 for each year of service. SPEEA is in the middle of negotiating with Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita. The labor group recently staved off a challenge to union representation for its professional and technical workers in Wichita. SPEEA also represents an engineers unit at Spirit that was not part of the union challenge. Union and company officials met last week to discuss contract changes. The two are midway through a 6-year contract and are meeting to negotiate pay. A key concern of SPEEA members at Spirit is their exclusion from a bonus program. SPEEA's executive director Ray Goforth noted on the union Web site last week that Spirit is offering to include the union in its bonus program but that some inconsistencies still need to be worked out. A strike is not a possibility in these negotiations. In the Puget Sound region, SPEEA represents more than 20,000 engineers and professional workers. SPEEA and Boeing exchange contract proposals Sept. 10. Wage increases and health care will be hot topics for the engineers and Boeing. The labor group already has identified pension plan changes as a potential strike issue. SPEEA staged a strike against Boeing for 40 days in 2000. Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.

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