EVERETT — The Boeing Co. engineers could strike the company’s defense site in Kansas after contract negotiations broke down again Tuesday.
“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 whatsoever.”
Union members in Wichita soon will vote next week on the same Boeing contract they rejected last week. Leaders for the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace are urging their 700 Wichita members also to authorize a strike, though doing so does not mean a strike is imminent.
SPEEA and Boeing have held contract talks off and on since late last year for Wichita employees, who have been working under an extended contract since early December. The two sides resumed negotiations Monday with the help of a federal mediator after the union voted down Boeing’s offer Feb. 5.
Boeing had said in January that its offer was final, noting the company still sought to reward workers despite tough economic times.
“We communicated to SPEEA at the time we put the offer on the table that it was our best and final offer,” said Jarrod Bartlett, Boeing spokesman. “Our offer that is on the table remains our best and final offer.”
Boeing’s offer for a three-year deal included a 3 percent annual raise pool to be distributed by company managers and an increase in pension to $81 monthly for every year of service. SPEEA leaders say Boeing is trying to divide the union by tossing out its defined pension plan for new employees there while preserving that benefit for new SPEEA members in the Puget Sound.
SPEEA could hand Boeing its second major strike in less than a year, following the 57-day Machinists walkout that shut down aircraft production in the Puget Sound region last fall. A strike would come as Boeing is laying off thousands of employees worldwide, including at least 800 hourly and salaried workers in Wichita. Boeing already has handed out 60-day notices to 1,418 workers in the Puget Sound area, saying it’s taking steps to remain competitive.
Boeing’s stock closed at $35.44, up 98 cents on Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Reporter Michelle Dunlop: 425-339-3454 or mdunlop@heraldnet.com.
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