Lede: Boeing may be able to avoid another strike as its engineer and tech union members vote on ratification of a tentative contract agreement. Doug Cunningham reports.

By Doug Cunningham

The tentative agreement was reached Friday between the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001, and The Boeing Company on new four-year contracts covering 21,000 engineers and technical workers. Having already lost millions of dollars in lost sales during the recent machinists strike, both Boeing and the union wanted to avoid a second strike. Union negotiators are recommending members approve the agreements. If approved by union members, the agreements will replace existing contracts that expire Dec. 1. The contracts cover 14,000 engineers in the SPEEA Professional Bargaining Unit. The second contract covers 7,000 technical workers in the union’s Technical Bargaining Unit. The majority of workers are in Puget Sound , but the contracts cover employees in Oregon, Utah and California. Both contracts expire Dec. 1. Boeing is a highly profitable company and the union was seeking t have its member rewarded for the success they’ve created at Boeing.

By Doug Cunningham

The General Accounting Office said Wednesday that the bidding process that awarded a multi-billion dollar Air Force refueling tanker contract to a French company was flawed. Society Of Professional Engineering Employees In Aerospace spokesman, Bill Dugovich says if this contract goes back to Boeing now thousands of U.S. jobs will be created.

[Dugovich]: "We're very pleased that the GAO recognized that the process used to award this bid was flawed and it was flawed from the beginning. We're hopeful now that the Air Force will recognize the flaws and award the contract to the rightful winner to begin with.

By Jesse Russell

A Boeing strike that has slogged on for more than two months will continue as negotiations ended at an imapsse Monday. The International Association of Machinist represent nearly 1500 Delta rocket workers in Florida, California and Alabama. The union says the company refused suggestions intended to jumpstart stymied negotitations. Boeing has said it is considering a contingency plan to get business moving again. The two sides are unable to come to an agreement over health care, the pay package and retirement benefits.

By Jesse Russell

The union representing striking technicians at Boeing's Cape Canaveral facility are charging the company with overlooking critical safety regulations in order to meet NASA launch deadlines. Members of the International Association of Mechanics have been on strike over contract negotiations since November 2. The company has since hired replacement workers to do work that the union says takes years to train for. Bob Wood is a spokesperson for the union:

[Wood]: The use of inexperienced replacement workers compromises the safety down there. And this isn't a time to learn on the job.

By Jesse Russell

A Boeing laptop containing personal information of more than 160,000 current and former Boeing employees was stolen from a non-Boeing worksite. The laptop contains Social Security numbers, birth dates and banking information of employees. The company is notifying employees by email if their information was in the laptop. It is unclear why the information was on a laptop at a non-Boeing work site.

By Doug Cunningham

The machinist's union says Boeing is offering striking workers in Alabama the same contract that caused a month long strike of Boeing workers in Seattle. John Crowdis is a lead negotiator for the IAM in Huntsville, Alabama. he says this move by the company is highly unusual and he doesn't understand the company's thinking on it. Boeing for now is standing by the offer to the striking workers and says contracts in Alabama, Florida and California are negotiated independently. Machinists at Boeing plants in Alabama, California and Florida are striking and Crowdis says it makes no sense to offer them the same deal that triggered a strike in Seattle.

By Jesse Russell

Last minute talks broke down early Wednesday with Boeing's Delta Rocket unit and workers are now out on picket lines. A federal mediator failed to help the company and the International Association of Machinists, who represent the 1500 striking workers in California, Alabama and Florida.

A major sore point for the union is Boeing recently posted earnings of $1 billion for the last quarter and is still asking for concessions.

The union has refused to accept Boeing's offer because it includes ending retirement health care coverage for new employees and eliminate caps on co-pays.

About 1,500 Boeing employees walked off the job at midnight after talks collapsed...more later...

Talks open today (Tuesday) at Boeing with SPEEA Local 2001, representing 18,000 professional engineers and technical workers. Union spokesman Bill Dugovich (Doo-ga-vitch) says health care, wages, retirement and job security are all central issues and Boeing is doing very well financially…

[Bill Dugovich] : "We're cautiously optimistic that we can come to a reasonable agreement with the Boeing company and meet all of our needs and meet the company's needs too."

By Jesse Russell

The International Association of Machinists may be ramping up for a new battle with Boeing after a massive strike of more than 18,000 members led to a victory of pension gains without giving up healthcare benefits. A new line has been drawn as the latest contract for nearly 1,000 Boeing workers in California and Florida was firmly rejected and a strike was approved. District 725 spokesperson Gary Quick told the Workers Independent News that a strike could come as early as next week and that the company is seeking to reverse losses from the September victory. Quick said Boeing is once again seeking to cut benefits of retirees.

By Jesse Russell

A strike against Boeing in Australia that has gone on for more than 120 days has received some sort from the US AFL-CIO. Sharan Burrow, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, met with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney in Washington last week. The ACTU is seeking to internationalize the dispute and Sweeney has pledged support in the US. The dispute involves just 25 workers in Australia who make up roughly 7-percent of Boeing's maintenance employees on that continent. The workers are seeking a collective contract instead of individual contracts.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers reached a tentative agreement with Boeing this weekend, which could possibly lead to the end of a strike which began September 2nd. The Machinists union is recommending the members ratify the agreement when they vote this Thursday. Connie Kelliher, spokesperson for the union, says the company has changed their offer on every major issue, including pensions, retiree medical benefits and health care:

[Kelliher:] "The company did remove all of the cost shifting on health care, which is huge. It'll save members between two thousand and four thousand per year in out-of-pocket expenses." [that Boeing was looking to shift onto the members.]

By Jesse Russell

As a strike against Boeing enters its 13th day, a memo from the head of the company's commercial airline division reveals that the machinists union and the company were about $1 billion apart in the negotiations. The machinists responded on their website saying the company was offering a smaller economic and benefit package then in the 2002 contract.

By Doug Cunningham

Both the International Association of Machinists and Boeing say the strike by 18,000 workers there could be a long one. One analyst says Boeing is willing to go three or four months. The big issues for Boeing workers are their pensions and health insurance. Workers want a 33 percent pension increase - which still won't get them near the Boeing CEO's multi-million dollar pension package. Boeing offered ten percent but wanted to shift some health care costs to workers.

While the bitter machinists' strike at Northwest Airlines enters its third week, over 18,000 machinists at aerospace giant Boeing began a strike of their own Friday morning. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted overwhelmingly to strike after contract negotiations stalled over pensions, health care, and job security. IAM Spokeswoman Connie Kelliher says the strike is about more than just benefits and wages:

[Kelliher] "The strike is not about economics, but more about a corporate strategy to break the workers who built this company. There's absolutely no reason for any takeaways in this round of bargaining, and the contract they offered was filled with them. The economic and benefit package is less than what was offered in 2002, even though Boeing profits have tripled in the last three years."

Boeing machinsts walked off the job late last night as negotiations fell apart. The company was unwilling to meet the demands of its workers who say the contract proposal fell short on pensions and healthcare. The workers are represented by the International Association of Machinsts and the strike would include more than 18,000 machinists.

By Doug Cunningham

The International Association of Machinists is in around the clock intense bargaining sessions with the giant aircraft manufacturer Boeing.
IAM spokeswoman Connie Kelliher says improving pensions for Boeing workers is the top issue.

[Connie Kelliher 1] : "To get them a significant increase. Something that will help them in their golden years so that they can live comfortably."

Boeing profits have tripled in the past three years and with the new CEO scoring an extremely lucrative pension Kelliher says Boeing now should do the right thing for its workers.

[Kelliher 2] : "Within minutes of him working at the company he got $22 million in a supplemental retirement package. And on average our members have worked 20 years and get maybe 35 percent of their pay."

By Doug Cunningham

The International Association of Machinists is negotiating a new contract with Boeing and pensions are the top issue. Boeing CEO Jim McNerney has a $22 million retirement benefit package and workwers at Boeing are seeking improvements in their pensions of $60 per month for every year of serice to the company. Workers at Boeing want a cost of living adjustment factored in to pensions. The IAM also wants Boeing to contribute to a pension fund run by the union and to boost 401(k) contributions. Boeing says it will present a contract offer by August 30th.