boeingfactory.jpg
Leaders of the union for Boeing's engineering and technical workers have voted to include strike authorization on ballots going to members next week. (AP Photo/File)

Union leaders approve strike authorization at Boeing

BY Chris Sullivan  on January 31, 2013 @ 6:27 am (Updated: 6:52 pm - 1/31/13 )

Leader for the union representing Boeing's engineers and technical workers have voted to include strike authorization on ballots going to members next week.

Negotiators for the nearly 23,000 engineers and technical union approved adding the strike authorization to the ballots at a special meeting Thursday.

They also voted to join recommendations from the SPEEA negotiating team to reject Boeing's latest contract offer.

Ballots will go out to members Tuesday. We would know the results on Feb. 19.

SPEEA has said it won't go on strike before the first week of March, if it decides to walk out at all. That deadline would be just a few days after all Boeing workers will get about three weeks bonus pay under the company's incentive plan.

Boeing CEO Jim McNerney is hopeful the engineers and technical workers will not choose this time to walk out for only the third time in their history.

"We're all very hopeful that our discussions with SPEEA will not come to that, but I think we're going to have enough experts available to keep looking at this issue if it goes that far," McNerney said.

Boeing just announced another record year with $81.7 billion in revenues. SPEEA wants its piece of the pie.

The company has offered wage pool raises as high as 5 percent. But it's the pension that's stopping a deal. Boeing says it can't continue to pay out like it is. It spent over $1.5 billion on pension payouts last year. It wants new hires to enter into a 401k-based program.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
More Local News
Top Stories

  • Sopranos Star Dies at 51
    James Gandolfini, the actor famous for "The Sopranos", died suddenly in Italy

  • More to the Story
    Liberace's ex-lover says the world will hear more of his story, and Michael Jackson's in there

  • A Skeptic's Doubts
    An ESPN columnist doubts Russell Wilson will ever be elite
MyNorthwest.com - Purpose of Comments statement
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria.

Comments (23)


  • Add A Comment

  • shark75 wrote...
    (Two Boeing engineers overheard talking) Joe: "Hey Bob, did we ever figure out what went wrong with those batteries?" Bob: "Nope", Joe: "What are we gonna do?" Bob: "Lets strike!"
    January 31, 2013 7:31 am
    Dear Boeing, please ship these jobs to SC so we dont have to read about these babies striking every 4 months!! We could use the unemployment to drive the cost of living in Seattle down anyway...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    Shark
    January 31, 2013 9:21 am
    get your facts straight before you spout off
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • bkfooman wrote...
    Boeing Strike
    January 31, 2013 9:21 am
    Come on, guys. For what you make for what you do, you should thank God every day that someone is tupid enough to pay you that much. At a time when so many people are trying to find work, losing their homes, or losing their jobs, you are worried about getting a raise? I think you misspelled SPEEA. It should be spelled GREED.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Roark wrote...
    ..."for what we do"???
    January 31, 2013 10:31 am
    Just to be clear...you're talking about designing and building machines that take hundreds of tons of aluminum, fuel, and people up to 30,000 feet and hurling them across the globe at 550 mph st -50 degrees, all while maintaining passengers in comfort, providing them with entertainment, high speed internet, phone service, and feeding them too? Is THAT the "what you do" you're talking about? All that seems a little more difficult than driving a garbage truck, yet the garbage strike of last year provided their drivers with comparable pay to what Boeing engineers make.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HikerACE wrote...
    Well then.
    January 31, 2013 4:40 pm
    Quit Boeing and drive a garbage truck. Easier work for the same pay. Problem solved. I do wonder if the Boeing employees who want the piece of the revenue pie will give some of that back to offset the financial hit the company takes for any manufacturing problems?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HLC wrote...
    Just think how much money could have been saved.
    January 31, 2013 10:00 am
    If the electrical engineers would have went on strike before the Dreamliner electrical system was designed. Maybe the new engineers would not have used old design faulty batteries.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • shark75 wrote...
    Rick W7PSK wrote...
    January 31, 2013 10:13 am
    We read about these Boeing a-holes stiking at least twice a year. I dont care of they sign a 6-year deal blah blah blah, I know I'll be reading about another strike within months. At some point you need to get down to business and fire these losers...especially when there appears to be a major design flaw with the new airplanes electrical systems. Share in the companany's success, share in the company's failure....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rick W7PSK wrote...
    1st .. This is SPEEA
    January 31, 2013 10:23 am
    Not the IAM. When was the last time SPEEA thought about a strike.

    When you get that fact right then we can talk about the Design of many systems on the 787 By outside engineers NOT SPEEA Engineers.

    Then when you can figure out how much MOST people are Losing in the contract not what Boeing says we are getting, then you might have some of the facts right.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    I have seen SPEEA on strike before.
    January 31, 2013 10:56 am
    It MAY happen again...who knows yet.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • MainEvent wrote...
    @Rick
    January 31, 2013 12:19 pm
    Dont worry Rick they are all just bitter x Boeing employees. Haters are always going to hate.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HLC wrote...
    Sorry mainevent.
    January 31, 2013 1:30 pm
    Never have and never would work for boing-boing. I have never needed some union drone to guide me through life and keep a job for me. You must be one of the 7% union members that are afraid to have to prove your self worth. Let someone else do it for you. Libralisim. Your not even on the undercard.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cigarfan wrote...
    @HLC
    January 31, 2013 11:19 pm
    I imagine you work without a contract? My condolences. Smart workers use contracts which are legally enforceable in a court of law. That's why doctors, lawyers, sports athletes, pilots, executives, teachers and pretty much people who understand negotiation and putting things in writing benefit you.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ScoSher77 wrote...
    @cigarfan
    February 1, 2013 9:27 pm
    So you need a union to negotiate what you want? And you need 105 people to tell you to strike? Do they hold your hand when you go pee too? LOL
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Zoeller wrote...
    "The Herald reports that the 105 workplace union reps will meet Thursday to decide if they think that's a good idea."
    January 31, 2013 5:04 pm
    Ha ha ha....Is this supposed to be a joke? They decided long ago to recommend a strike. It is called The Lazy B for a reason.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • cdbtx wrote...
    $4.4 Trillion
    January 31, 2013 5:36 pm
    in unfunded Pensions in America - arriving at your doorstep soon.

    No one mentioned that those Boeing workers will also be paying an additional 3% tax on their bonuses.. Thanks President Obama.

    Commrades - join the modern world

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • longwayhome wrote...
    I'll bet
    January 31, 2013 7:03 pm
    Not one Boeing employee has posted here. They read some of the ignorant uninformed garbage and wonder why they ever came to this site in the first place. No poster here knows ANYTHING about batteries and charging units and union issues, the only thing they know is that they aren't Boeing employees, they wish they were and most of the regular posters here are unemployed (unemployable) and are jealous of the people they condemn the most.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    I will bet you
    January 31, 2013 10:26 pm
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Newton wrote...
    Lets do the Contract Dance.
    January 31, 2013 7:36 pm
    Need a loophole Boys please sign Strike. We will take it from there.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }