Late last night on the east coast the membership of SPEEA approved a new four-year contract by a vote of 69%. The ratification of the new contract closes a tumultuous chapter that has dominated the second half of 2008 for Boeing. The very recent memory of the pain incurred by Boeing, the IAM and their membership undoubtedly informed the negotiations with SPEEA. Both sides involved in negotiations used the IAM experience to their respective advantages to garner a amicable contract that serves both the needs of management and the engineer.
It’s no secret that both sides postured and positioned for an advantage in the public eye, often butting heads rhetorically, but at the end of the day a solution was found. Let’s hope the positive outcome serves as a future model and a step forward in labor/management relations for Boeing and its Unions.
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.