SPEEA considers strike of Boeing Wichita

Published 2:03 pm Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A federal mediator apparently couldn’t bring the Boeing Co. and SPEEA closer to an agreement in Wichita. The two called off contract talks today.

“The company never had any intent to negotiate with us,” said Bob Brewer, SPEEA Midwest director, in a statement. “There was no movement from their team on anything — none what-so-ever.”

SPEEA’s 700 engineers there will vote on the contract — the same one they rejected earlier this month. The union also will ask members for strike authorization, which doesn’t necessarily mean the engineers will impose a work stoppage at Boeing’s defense site there.

Boeing has been slashing jobs worldwide, announcing plans to let go roughly 800 hourly and salaried workers in Wichita. While Boeing has said its offer rewards workers despite tough times, SPEEA officials say the company is treating its Wichita workers worse than those in the Puget Sound region.

One key difference in Boeing’s offer to Wichita: it still includes getting rid of the defined pension plan for new workers — a proposal the company dropped when negotiating with SPEEA here.

Would SPEEA be crazy to strike?

Puget Sound members, how would you vote if this was your contract?