SPEEA, Boeing resume talks in Wichita

Published 11:01 am Monday, February 23, 2009

The Boeing Co. and its engineers’ union return to the negotiating table today in Wichita after SPEEA members there voted down a labor contract earlier this month.

About 700 engineers at Boeing’s defense site in Kansas have been working under an extended contract since December. SPEEA leaders say Boeing’s offer was “disappointing” and that the company tried to treat engineers in Wichita differently than those in the Puget Sound region.

Ray Goforth, SPEEA’s executive director, described this morning’s talks as “going remarkably badly,” in an update on Twitter this morning.

The union fears Boeing might sell off the site though the company has said it has no plans to do so.