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Technical workers have voted to approve a new four-year contract with Boeing, ending more than a year of acrimonious negotiations. (AP file)

Boeing technical workers approve new contract

BY Josh Kerns  on March 18, 2013 @ 8:08 pm (Updated: 5:38 am - 3/19/13 )

Boeing technical workers have voted to approve a new four-year contract with Boeing, ending more than a year of acrimonious negotiations.

The members of the Society of Professional Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) overwhelmingly approved the contract with 4,244 yes votes to 654 no votes. They had previously voted against the contract in February.

The new agreement puts an end to Boeing's longstanding pension plan and replaces it with a 401(k) retirement program for new hires, the most contentious issue between the two sides.

The contract was previously approved by SPEEA engineers Feb. 19.

The union represents over 26,000 technical and professional workers in Washington, Wichita, Kansas and a Boeing supplier in Spokane.

The new contract extends the terms of the previous contract, including five percent annual salary increase pools, no increases to employees for medical coverage and an increase to the retirement benefit. By the end of the new agreement, SPEEA represented technical workers, and also the engineers, will have received eight straight years of five percent salary increase pools, with guaranteed minimum wage increases each year of the contract, the union said in a statement.

Josh Kerns, MyNorthwest.com Reporter
Josh Kerns is co-host of KIRO Radio's Seattle Sounds (Saturday nights 7-8) and a digital content producer for MyNorthwest.com.
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Comments (3)


  • Add A Comment

  • shark75 wrote...
    Geeeee I wonder why
    March 18, 2013 8:00 pm
    ....
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    The new agreement puts an end to Boeing's longstanding pension plan and replaces it with a 401K retirement program for new hires
    March 18, 2013 9:58 pm
    smart union members. You can kiss your pension plan bye bye.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }