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More
than 70 percent of voters backed the agreements for two
bargaining units of the Society of Professional Engineering
Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) that cover 20,100 workers, the
union said. The deals mark a sharp shift from contentious
negotiations over the last contract in 2012.
The agreements take effect immediately, replacing a contract due
to expire in October. They govern 14,100 professional engineers
and 6,000 technical workers, mostly in the Puget Sound area, but
including some in California, Oregon, Utah and Florida. The new
contracts expire in October 2022.
Professional workers voted 6,085 to accept and 2,460 to reject,
while technical workers voted 2,825 to accept and 1,030 to
reject, the union said.
The new contracts improve wages, vacation, layoff and retirement
benefits, the union said. Boeing agreed to pay 15 percent more
than the national average of wages for professional engineers,
as determined by a Mercer benchmark for high-tech workers.
Technical workers will be paid 22 percent above the benchmark,
with the percentage falling to 17 percent by 2022.
The agreements "grew from a strong desire on both sides to find
common ground and negotiate contracts that work for SPEEA
members and Boeing," said Ryan Rule, president of the union. "It
was a unique opportunity that allowed these early contract
talks," he added. "We're glad it worked."
In a statement, Boeing thanked the workers. Commercial Airplanes
Chief Executive Ray Conner said the agreement "helps position us
for continued success in a highly competitive landscape". Conner
oversaw the contract talks, Boeing said.
The agreement is seen as signaling a change in tone from two
years ago, when former Chief Executive Jim McNerney quipped on a
conference call that workers would "still be cowering" after he
turned 65 later that year, a remark for which he later
apologized.
Asked about the new relationship with labor, current Chief
Executive Dennis Muilenburg said in January that the company
faces tough competition. "And at the same time, we want to
recognize this great team and treat them with the respect they
deserve."
(Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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