...Teachers file ULP
(From Page 1)
said the 17 percent figure is “really mis-
leading,” because it includes annual in-
creases under the district’s step pay
schedule, which incentivizes teachers to
stay with the district. The majority of
PPS teachers have at least 11 years of
experience and are thus at the top of the
pay scale. Those topped-out teachers
would get annual raises of 2, 1.5, and
1.5 percent under the district’s proposal
(5 percent in three years), plus another 1
percent bump for the two additional
days a year the district wants teachers
to work. The union is proposing across-
the-board raises of 4.8 and 3.75 percent.
Sullivan said the wage discussion
can’t be separated from the health in-
surance. The district is proposing to cap
its contribution and have teachers pay
any premium increase over that
amount.
“When you bring those together it’s
really a pay cut that they’re offering,”
Sullivan said.
Likely the biggest disagreement is
over class size limits. The current con-
tract limits teacher workload to no more
than 180 students for high school teach-
ers. PPS wants to dump that limit, and
instead form a committee to make non-
binding recommendations about class
size. In a Dec. 2 legal filing, PAT said
the district’s refusal to negotiate over
class size violates state collective bar-
gaining law. A final mediation session
was scheduled for Dec. 5, after this is-
sue went to press.
PAT PRESIDENT GWEN SULLIVAN
...Machinists fight for middle class
(From Page 1)
Charleston, S.C., and Everett. Boeing
officials said proposals are due back in
mid-December and the company ex-
pects to make a decision sometime
early next year.
Production on the 777X is expected
to begin in 2017, and the first test flight
is scheduled for 2019, with delivery of
the first airplane expected in 2020.
On Nov. 18, several hundred union
and community members turned out in
the pouring rain at Seattle’s Westlake
Park to support and thank the Machin-
Teacher strike possible in Medford
MEDFORD — Medford School
Board declared impasse Nov. 12 after
Medford Education Association re-
fused to accept its contract offer. The
two sides exchanged final offers a week
later, and are in a mandatory cooling-
off period through Dec. 20, at which
point the district can impose its terms,
and the teachers can strike. About 600
teachers serve the district, which has
about 12,000 students.
The district says it’s offering a 10
percent wage increase in the first year,
followed by 1 percent raises the next
two years. It sounds so generous, but
that 10 percent is sleight of hand; what
one hand giveth, the other taketh away.
The district wants teachers to make the
6 percent of payroll contribution that it
now makes into their Public Employ-
ees Retirement System pensions. And
it wants to increase their work year
from 186 days to 192 days, a 3.2 per-
cent increase. When the school year
was shortened several years ago,
teacher pay was cut in proportion.
Teachers want the school year restored,
but want their pay restored too. Once
the 6 percent pay reduction and the 3.2
percent work increase are considered,
the 10 percent wage increase becomes
less than 1 percent — less than infla-
tion.
Meanwhile, the district also wants
to eliminate retiree health insurance,
and cap what it pays for health insur-
ance, with teachers paying all of the
premium above that cap.
A mediation session is scheduled
for Dec. 12.
ists members, and to call on Boeing to
make the smart, rational business deci-
sion of building the 777X in Washing-
ton.
Speaking on behalf of a group of
Machinists attending the rally, IAM
Lodge 751 Business Representative
Jon Holden expressed gratitude for the
community support. “Today we are all
Machinists in this struggle,” Holden
said. “We are proud to stand shoulder
to shoulder with you to protect the
things achieved (in previous contracts).
Those who build the 777 today are the
key to the 777X’s future success. Our
quality, reliability and productivity are
second to none. We are proud to stand
with you because truly your fight is our
fight, and our fight is your fight.”
WSLC President Johnson said, “No
one should interpret this vote as an in-
dication that Machinists don’t want
Boeing to expand in Washington state
by manufacturing the 777X and the
new composite wing here at home.
These Machinists are proud, highly
skilled, dedicated workers who built
Boeing’s reputation, profitability, and
market share. They simply want a fair
shake for the work that they do.”
On Nov. 22, the Coalition of Unions
at Boeing (CLUB) penned an open let-
ter stating they are ready to meet the
challenge of designing and manufactur-
ing the 777X on time, within budget
and without growing pains.
“Every successful Boeing commer-
cial aircraft was designed, engineered,
manufactured, protected and delivered
by our members,” they wrote. “From the
Teamsters who transport the parts,
SPEEA members who design, engineer
and deliver aircraft, Machinists who
skillfully manufacture the planes, Oper-
ating Engineers who maintain our facil-
ities, Industrial Fire Fighters who pro-
tect our plants and Security Guards who
protect the people and our trade secrets,
union-represented Boeing employees in
Washington state and other legacy loca-
tions are the proven path to success.”
Industry analysts agree that Wash-
ington will be a tough competitor. The
state has a large and experienced aero-
space workforce and a favorable geo-
graphic location, as well as the tax in-
centive package already in place.
[Boeing is still pressing the governor to
call a second special session to pass a
$10 billion transportation package that
the company favors.]
“From a strict industry/business/eco-
nomics/common sense standpoint, the
alternatives are seriously inferior. Wash-
ington State offers big advantages,”
wrote aerospace analyst Richard Aboul-
afia in his monthly newsletter for the
Teal Group Corp.
Aboulafia notes that final assembly
labor costs are “a small fraction” of the
total cost of building a jet.
“Giving workers some of what they
want would have a negligible impact
on competitiveness, particularly since
it would reduce costs and mitigate risks
associated with moving the line. If
management won’t compromise, that
has less to do with economics and more
to do with personal distaste,” he wrote.
Aboulafia gives Everett an 89 per-
cent chance of winning the 777X. He
gives North Charleston, S. C. — “the
only alternative site that makes any
sense” — a 10 percent chance of land-
ing the work.
(Editor’s Note: David Groves of the
Washington State Labor Council’s The
Stand contributed to this report.)
State senator
proposes ‘right
to work’ session
State Sen. Mike Baumgartner (R-
Spokane) called on the Legislature Nov.
14 to make Washington a “right-to-
work” state, the Spokesman-Review re-
ported.
Baumgartner rolled out the plan fol-
lowing the Boeing Machinists’ contract
vote. He wanted Gov. Jay Inslee to call
a special session to vote on the right-to-
work proposal, suggesting it would cre-
ate a “welcoming overall environment”
and reduce the possibility of labor
strikes.
“That’s not going to happen,” Inslee
spokesman David Postman said of
Baumgartner’s call. Boeing never men-
tioned right-to-work legislation as
something it was seeking to guarantee
the 777X would be built in Washington,
Postman said.
DECEMBER 6, 2013
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 3