Published: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
SPEEA gets new contract ready to mail to members
EVERETT -- Boeing Co. engineers and technical workers soon will weigh in on whether to approve the company's four-year contract offer.
"Both sides seem happy with it," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst for the Teal Group, on Monday.
Negotiators and advisers for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace gave their endorsement late Friday of Boeing's contract offer. The union finished preparing the contract ballots Monday. SPEEA's 21,000 members should receive their ballots later this week.
Engineers and technical workers can mail their ballots or cast them in person at local SPEEA halls until 5 p.m. Dec. 1.
In the new contract, Boeing provides a salary increase pool of 5 percent each year of the contract with guaranteed increases of 2 percent annually for engineers and 2.5 percent annually for technical workers. The remaining funds will be distributed based on merit as annual salary increases.
"This agreement provides market-competitive pay and benefits that enable us to attract and retain the best talent, remain on the leading edge of technology and continue to win business in uncertain times," Doug Kight, Boeing's lead negotiator, said Friday.
Bill Dugovich, communications director for SPEEA, said Boeing's offer represents the highest wage increase that engineers have seen since 1992. Under the contract signed late that year, the company put aside an increase of 6 percent of engineers' salaries for merit-based raises.
The offer also includes a bump in pension and continued participation in the employee incentive plan and provides SPEEA more say in regards to outsourcing.
"For engineering, outsourcing has clear limits," analyst Aboulafia said.
Boeing tested those limits with its 787 Dreamliner jet. The company relied on global partners to complete both design work and production of major assemblies. But Boeing officials recently have said they'll do things differently in terms of outsourcing engineering work for the company's next new aircraft.
Outsourcing had also been a major issue for Boeing's Machinists union. The Machinists shut down production of Boeing jets for 57 days this autumn over their contract, citing outsourcing, wages, pension and health care as issues. The Machinists also got from Boeing greater input on outsourcing.
Aboulafia thinks there's more societal "baggage" or pressure on the Machinists union than there is on SPEEA. With the nation's auto industry suffering, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers represents one of the few successful unions for manufacturing workers.
Engineers and technical workers are still in high demand in this country. And programs like the 787, or Boeing's new 747-8 and 777 Freighter, need intense engineering work, analyst Aboulafia said.
"They need the engineers more" than the Machinists, he said.
Visit the Aerospace Blog at heraldnet.com to weigh in on Boeing's contract offer to SPEEA.
"Both sides seem happy with it," said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst for the Teal Group, on Monday.
Negotiators and advisers for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace gave their endorsement late Friday of Boeing's contract offer. The union finished preparing the contract ballots Monday. SPEEA's 21,000 members should receive their ballots later this week.
Engineers and technical workers can mail their ballots or cast them in person at local SPEEA halls until 5 p.m. Dec. 1.
In the new contract, Boeing provides a salary increase pool of 5 percent each year of the contract with guaranteed increases of 2 percent annually for engineers and 2.5 percent annually for technical workers. The remaining funds will be distributed based on merit as annual salary increases.
"This agreement provides market-competitive pay and benefits that enable us to attract and retain the best talent, remain on the leading edge of technology and continue to win business in uncertain times," Doug Kight, Boeing's lead negotiator, said Friday.
Bill Dugovich, communications director for SPEEA, said Boeing's offer represents the highest wage increase that engineers have seen since 1992. Under the contract signed late that year, the company put aside an increase of 6 percent of engineers' salaries for merit-based raises.
The offer also includes a bump in pension and continued participation in the employee incentive plan and provides SPEEA more say in regards to outsourcing.
"For engineering, outsourcing has clear limits," analyst Aboulafia said.
Boeing tested those limits with its 787 Dreamliner jet. The company relied on global partners to complete both design work and production of major assemblies. But Boeing officials recently have said they'll do things differently in terms of outsourcing engineering work for the company's next new aircraft.
Outsourcing had also been a major issue for Boeing's Machinists union. The Machinists shut down production of Boeing jets for 57 days this autumn over their contract, citing outsourcing, wages, pension and health care as issues. The Machinists also got from Boeing greater input on outsourcing.
Aboulafia thinks there's more societal "baggage" or pressure on the Machinists union than there is on SPEEA. With the nation's auto industry suffering, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers represents one of the few successful unions for manufacturing workers.
Engineers and technical workers are still in high demand in this country. And programs like the 787, or Boeing's new 747-8 and 777 Freighter, need intense engineering work, analyst Aboulafia said.
"They need the engineers more" than the Machinists, he said.
Visit the Aerospace Blog at heraldnet.com to weigh in on Boeing's contract offer to SPEEA.
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