SPEEA was recently able to achieve an agreement requiring a return to employment of 58 individuals who were laid off earlier this year. In addition to their jobs, they were also made whole for lost wages and benefits. And the returned employees will have the layoff removed from their employment record.

The layoffs were part of the cost-cutting measures Boeing announced late last year. The result of these measures was the elimination of 2,600 workers for Boeing in Washington state, including 600 represented by SPEEA.

The agreement comes after SPEEA filed a grievance and a request for arbitration alleging at least two violations of the union’s contracts. The first violation was related to the non-disclosure of the use of a particular kind of non-Boeing labor - Industry Assist - as is required by the contracts. The second violation covered the layoff of represented employees while retaining Industry Assist personnel performing the same work.

Boeing initially denied the grievance, citing a contractual document purporting to show the non-Boeing labor individuals (those that the union were grieving) were actually different kinds of non-Boeing labor (i.e. not Industry Assist) and hence not subject to the provisions associated with Industry Assist personnel. However, Boeing had signs in the workplace indicating the individuals were Industry Assist and organization charts available online likewise stated that they were Industry Assist.

When SPEEA demanded a copy of the document describing the employment relationship, Boeing refused. SPEEA informed Boeing of our intent to file an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regarding Boeing’s refusal to provide data relevant to SPEEA contract enforcement.

Ultimately, after a series of meetings with Boeing leadership, Boeing agreed to resolve the matter in SPEEA’s favor and restore the formerly laid-off individuals to their prior positions. Management has begun reaching out directly to impacted employees to arrange for their reinstatement.

About 140 SPEEA Council Reps from multiple states, officers and allies from IFPTE locals and other labor unions (shown above) came together for the annual SPEEA Council Convention and Leadership Conference.

The theme of this year’s conference was “Forging Stronger Relationships, Building a Brighter Future.”

At the convention on May 30, SPEEA Council Reps conducted union business and elected officers for new terms. At the leadership conference May 31, activists took part in training on topics such as grievance handling, organizing, labor law and legislative advocacy.

Special guest speakers included IFPTE President Matt Biggs and IFPTE Secretary-Treasurer Gay Henson along with IAM District 751 President Jon Holden, the keynote speaker at the conference.

See articles and photos coming soon to SPEEA News and SPEEA Spotlite. Also check out our social media sites, including Facebook and Instagram, for more photos.