Boeing tech workers OK contract on re-vote
»Play Video
SEATTLE (AP) - In a re-vote tallied Monday night, Boeing technical workers overwhelmingly approved a new four-year contract that replaces pensions with a 401(k) retirement plan for new hires.
The technical workers had voted Feb. 19 to reject the same offer. The workers' union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, had cautioned that a second rejection would "almost certainly" lead to a lengthy strike since Boeing had refused to improve its offer.
The latest vote was 4,244 to accept and 654 to reject, union spokesman Bill Dugovich said.
The union made no recommendation this time, after earlier urging both the 7,200 technical workers and the 15,500 Boeing engineers it represents to reject the pact. Engineers and technical workers bargain at the same time but their contracts are separate and independent agreements.
The engineers approved their contract offer in the first vote. It contained the same pension provision for new hires.
Chicago-based Boeing said it was pleased with the latest vote results. It has said a switch away from pensions is vital to the company's competitiveness.
"The votes by technical workers and engineers in recent weeks will allow us to come together and focus on the challenges and opportunities we face this year," said Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We're moving forward with an excellent team in place."
The technical workers narrowly rejected the offer in their first vote, 3,203 to 2,868.
SPEEA earlier told the workers that the contract offered a number of pluses, including locking in contract terms for four years that include "5 percent annual wage pools, maintaining medical benefits without increases and an improved basic retirement benefit calculation for existing techs in pension," the message said.
The union's approximately 23,000 employees are mostly in the Puget Sound region, working on jetliner design and technical issues. Factory assembly work is done by members of the International Associations of Machinists. The machinists approved a four-year contract in December 2011.
SPEEA and Boeing started negotiations in April 2012, the union said. Technical workers have been without a contract since Nov. 25.
The technical workers had voted Feb. 19 to reject the same offer. The workers' union, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, had cautioned that a second rejection would "almost certainly" lead to a lengthy strike since Boeing had refused to improve its offer.
The latest vote was 4,244 to accept and 654 to reject, union spokesman Bill Dugovich said.
The union made no recommendation this time, after earlier urging both the 7,200 technical workers and the 15,500 Boeing engineers it represents to reject the pact. Engineers and technical workers bargain at the same time but their contracts are separate and independent agreements.
The engineers approved their contract offer in the first vote. It contained the same pension provision for new hires.
Chicago-based Boeing said it was pleased with the latest vote results. It has said a switch away from pensions is vital to the company's competitiveness.
"The votes by technical workers and engineers in recent weeks will allow us to come together and focus on the challenges and opportunities we face this year," said Ray Conner, president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We're moving forward with an excellent team in place."
The technical workers narrowly rejected the offer in their first vote, 3,203 to 2,868.
SPEEA earlier told the workers that the contract offered a number of pluses, including locking in contract terms for four years that include "5 percent annual wage pools, maintaining medical benefits without increases and an improved basic retirement benefit calculation for existing techs in pension," the message said.
The union's approximately 23,000 employees are mostly in the Puget Sound region, working on jetliner design and technical issues. Factory assembly work is done by members of the International Associations of Machinists. The machinists approved a four-year contract in December 2011.
SPEEA and Boeing started negotiations in April 2012, the union said. Technical workers have been without a contract since Nov. 25.
So much union hate. All of the Boeing unions get a bad rep on every news website. Should thank us for making your wages competitive. You're welcome.
Although they had to think about a bit, it sounds like the âtech workersâ finally figured it out.There may be hope for them yet.At least they have shown themselves to be smarter than most of us thought.
Â@oldster70Â Yes, there is hope. Â I'd love to see these jobs remain in Washington as well as the tax revenue. Â This time it looks like the quiet majority took the day. Â Boeing has proven multiple times that they are not "wedded" to Washington, first when they moved their corporate offices and then when they opened up a plant 'south east' of here. Â It appears they have more brains than the UAW workers of the past.
I guess they figured there isn't much point in trusting your union to bargain for you once they've shoved you under the bus.
I wonder if any of Obama's people are in there allowing workers to vote oooohhhhhhhh, six times or so? ;)
Maybe if the union workers got a taste of what they would actually make in comparable positions (wages, benefits, bonuses, etc.)  outside of Boeing, they might be happy with what they got now.
@The WA Mama Many, but not all union types have an over-inflated sense of worth.  Many, but not all also have entitlement issues.  When you combine the two it makes for some pretty offensive people.  I agree with you, many of these people just do not know how well they have it.  When called on their actions or behavior, they try to divert attention from their own greed by trying to get people to focus on 'greedy management'.  It's the pot calling the kettle black.  I'm not buying what they are shoveling.  I'd gladly be a 'Scab' and work at Boeing without a contract. Â
I like how you non skilled people like telling us what we want.
How do you know these people are non skilled? There are plenty of highly skilled professionals in this country who don't belong to a union.
Is that the best argument you can come up with? "I like how you non skilled people like telling us what we want." Hmm.  I'm not a "non skilled people" and I think most "non skilled people" can recognize greed when they see it and call it out for what it is.Â
@PlumBUSTED! No, I do not look down at anyone. Why shouldn't employees want part of the profits? It's not like the CEO did everything himself. Welcome to the 21st century.
@Thomas Bagby @The WA Mama In this economy, be thankful you have a job in the first place. A lot of people in a lot of fields didn't get a raise at ALL. Unions don't last forever.
@Thomas Bagby So you look down your nose at unskilled labor, but look at management with envy and complain about their earnings.  Sooooo hypocritical.
@The WA Mama If you want to talk about greed, look at what the CEO was paid last year. 27.5 million, and yet we are greedy getting a 5% raise. Really?
@gregcthekid Lol....."non skilled?" I have two sons that work for Boeing. "Skilled" is being able to use a Genie lift to change a lightbulb, so get off your high horse.
@Takamine @Thomas Bagby @gregcthekid Takamine, how many times do people have to tell you that working the fryer at McDonald's is not considered being an engineer. Maybe one day you can work the drive thru window. Thank you, come again should be a familiar phrase in your line of work.
@Thomas Bagby @Takamine @gregcthekid I AM an engineer Thomas. Just not for Boeing. I turned down a job offer from them 25 years ago. :) Thank YOU, come again. (when you have a valid argument preferably)
@Takamine @gregcthekid Leave it to a pessimist to jump on the current problem. Way to be a forward thinker Takamine. The world is flat also, so you should stick with what you know, which is little and nothing.
@Takamine @gregcthekid You obviously don't know what engineers or technicians do. We do not change light bulbs. That is for the unskilled laborers, such as your two sons as you stated. Get a college degree, go through the interview process, and get hired. Thank you, come again.
"the battery was designed in France and built in Japan"
And SPECIFIED & CHECKEDÂ be Boeing
If you new anything at all what your talking about , the battery was designed in France and built in Japan. Boeing workers cant do everything. We are fixing their skrew ups though.
@gregcthekid And smell the battery catching on fire........o.k. I will.
Think about what skilled people do next time your 35 thousand feet in the air
Yeh, thats all we do at boeing is drive genie lifts. GET A CLUE
Oh so they did not get enough votes to strike so they are calling a revote... FUNNY! | So it is obvious the UNION Leadership wants a strike but members voted it down! ... HA ... sheesh are they representing the unions feelings or their own desires... makes ya think!
You apparently don't read very well do you, they already voted on the contract and voted to strike, but since it was so close they are voting again to make sure. Take your anti-union blinders off and read the story, or is that too much to ask of you
@whocares ... yes because they think they miscounted over 400 votes... right....not to mention they went through the trouble to print... 'I voting no.... '   how about I voted yes stickers....
...such things are 'not so anonomous'
@whocares nope not on welfare ... and I worked 1 union job when I was younger and lost it when I refused to pay member dues... as I was PT and they wanted me to pay the same dues as a full time employee... I am anti-union everything if you have not guessed... and no welfare / state assistance here .. I don't need a union to secure myself competitive wages either.. they have long outlived their usefulness anyway... Boeing leaving won't be affecting me ... I am not super rich but I live comfortably ... but that is not stopping me from looking for better higher paying work...though I for now am doing very well for a person my age...again no union helped me get where I am.. I got here myself by finding something I like doing and making sure I have valuable and marketable skills...and keep adding to them to keep myself current...none of my skills will be put to use for boeing either as when they do close up shop I don't want to have to move to keep my job.. or have to deal with union people calling me a scab...
And unless you are on welfare or are super rich you will care, when thousands of good paying jobs dissapear everyone feels it
This isn't about the engineers, this is about the technical workers who voted against the contract. They are two seperate groups
@whocares ..."The 15,500 engineers approved a new four-year contract, even though the union had recommended rejection over the pension issue." | But what do I care they strike again and boeing closes its doors up here over the frequent strikes I will be right here to say 'hope you are happy....'
No you said that they didn't get enough votes to stike so they are revoting, when the truth is They already have the votes to strike they don't need to revote for that
@whocares ...for someone who doesn't care you certainly have a lot to say...
Seems very straight that I am lopping the unions stance as always to vote no on every contract... that seems very clear....
Do you read what you write because it makes no sence
Gota love that ballot box......." I'm voting NO!"
Hmmmmm,,,,Decisions,,,,,,,,Decisions,,,,,,,  Which way do I vote?????
Unions at it's best...
@EASTSIDE 1Â Â Yeah, I saw that! Â Imagine that, a union trying to influence the voters! Â <Wink Wink>
I love it.... don't like the first results.... take another run at it! What a country....
@Funky-Munky They're taking another vote because the union doesn't want to have one group out on strike and the other inside working (another words, they don't want a two tiered union). Either way, the workers will probably approve it, though I think it was crappy of Boeing to take away the pensions, especially with the record profits they've been making.
@MoonDragonWitch @Funky-Munky Pensions are so 30 years ago. I thing the 401K should be "beefed up" with better matching to take the place of pension, but the pension should have been thrown out long ago.
@VoiceofReason @MoonDragonWitch @Stock Woodie @Funky-Munky ..and if you were that close to "retirement", you should not have had all your money in stock, but something safer like bonds.
@MoonDragonWitch @Stock Woodie @Funky-Munky No one lost thousands unless they were stupid enough to switch their funds around and make bad choices. Shares = money makers in the 401k. If you keep the shares, the money will come back. Look at the Dow.
@Stock Woodie @MoonDragonWitch @Funky-Munky Oh yeah, because 401ks are so grand...tell that to people who lost thousands from their retirement when the economy went bad.
Not everything is a fad. There were lots of things done over the decades that were far better than anything that's being considered so "now".
@gregcthekid What's wrong with a 401K with 100% matching on 10% or something?
Yah, because your not getting one . Right
@Funky-Munky Now they know how many 'votes' they need to stuff the ballot box with to... 'win'.
Just kidding girls, don't get your union panties in a bind! :)
Record order for Airbus today...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/18/us-airbus-france-idUSBRE92G09Y20130318
@Nick true, and yet Boeing is still beating Airbus in orders, and deliveries. Thank you, come again.