SPEEA strife causes concern for international union

Published 12:15 pm Wednesday, August 22, 2007

The feud between Boeing engineers has drawn disdain from an international engineering union.

The “ugly divisiveness” between executive board members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees caught the attention of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers recently. The international group consists of 10 unions, including SPEEA.

Two of IFPTE’s executive officers sent an open letter to SPEEA members urging them to “restore unity” within the union, which represents more than 20,000 Boeing engineers and technical workers in the Puget Sound region.

The officers withheld comment on the recent recall petition of four SPEEA executive board members. However, they condemned the “shameful” antics found on the SPEEA Watch Web site, where SPEEA leaders have been labeled “pigs,” “cowards” and “gutless.”

The letter is posted on SPEEA’s Web site. On the SPEEA Watch site, you’ll find a response to IFPTE.