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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2014)
SPEEA wins Boeing case, workers to split $47 million By MIKE HALL Nearly 500 current and former Boe- ing Co. employees who worked at two Southern California plants will share in a $47 million award after an arbitrator agreed with the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 2001 that the company wrong- fully denied the workers union repre- sentation in 2001. The engineers and technical work- ers were employed at Boeing’s Palm- dale plant and its Edwards Air Force Base facility when the company denied their union representation, even though they were in jobs covered by the con- tract between SPEEA and Boeing. After Boeing denied a grievance and refused arbitration, the 13-year journey began that wove its way through U.S. NLRB orders Boeing to stop illegal tactics against SPEEA The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on May 15 ordered Boeing to stop illegal intimidation tactics against its unionized workforce. The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) Local 2001 filed the unfair labor practice complaints against Boeing in 2012, after the aerospace giant videotaped union members at facilities in Renton and Everett, Wash., and in Portland, Ore., who were engaged in solidarity marches to support contract negotiations. Boeing was ordered to “cease and desist” and to post a notice saying em- ployees are entitled to join a union and participate in union activities and that Boeing won’t videotape, photograph or watch union activities, or “create an impression that we are watching your union activities.” “This ruling is a searing indictment of the illegal intimidation tactics Boe- ing uses against its own employees,” Ray Goforth, executive director of SPEEA Local 2001, told Reuters News. District Court, the regional office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and eventually to the national NLRB, with Boeing losing, but appeal- ing at each step. “Boeing spent more than a decade and countless dollars trying to break its contracts with these employees. It’s disappointing it took so long, but the employees prevailed,” said Rich Plun- kett, SPEEA director of strategic de- velopment, who worked the case since its start. The arbitrator’s final ruling and award requires Boeing to “make whole” the employees for everything they should have received under the union contracts and then include 10 percent simple interest. A total of 251 current employees will share $28 million in back pay and benefits. Another 233 Boeing retirees will share $19 million in back pay and benefits and additional pension. Any current or retired employees who worked at the facilities there after 2000 will share in the award. The amount they will receive depends on how long they worked at facilities. The majority will receive lump sum payments from a few dollars to in excess of $400,000. Many current employees have already received salary increases of up to $33,000 annually. For the small num- ber of employees covered by the award who are deceased, payments will go to their heirs. SPEEA reports that during a meet- ing April 15 with workers now living around the Puget Sound area in Wash- ington, many were shocked by the amount of benefits and pay they nearly lost because Boeing tried to deny their union representation. “To be honest, I was never a union supporter until I started work at Boe- ing,” said Jim Pachall, who attended with his wife, Debbie. “I learned unions are here to protect workers. For SPEEA to fight this so hard and for so long is amazing and appreciated.” (Editor’s Note: Mike Hall writes for the AFL-CIO NOW blog.) Commission reallocates $116 M in CRC funding to 8 other projects SALEM — The Oregon Transporta- tion Commission (OTC) has reallocated $116 million in federal funding that had been set aside to pay for debt service on the proposed Interstate-5 Columbia River Crossing to other projects. In March, OTC allocated the funds to eight “ready-to-go” bridge and pave- ment projects. The agency took the ac- tion to prevent the money from being rescinded by the federal government. With congressional passage of Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) in 2012, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) received funding over and above what the department planned for 2014 when ODOT developed the Statewide Trans- portation Improvement Program (STIP) in 2010. During the 2013 legislative session, those additional funds were committed to cover the initial years of debt service on the Columbia River Crossing until new revenue could be raised in the 2015 session. In August 2013, OTC approved a backup strategy to obligate the funds if the CRC didn’t move forward. If the funds were not obligated to projects ready to go to bid by the end of the fed- eral fiscal year (September 30), the money would be rescinded and distrib- uted to other states. After the Legislature declined to ap- prove the Columbia River Crossing and ODOT began shutting it down in March, the Commission allocated $116 million in funding for the other proj- ects. All eight projects are considered by the state to be high priority projects to maintain Oregon’s transportation system. Most of the projects were previously planned for 2016-2018 and are now moving up to construction in 2015. The OTC approved funding for the following projects: I-5: Marquam Bridge-Capitol Highway ($10.2 million; 2015): Pave six miles of I-5 and rehabilitate two bridges I-84: The Dalles-15 Mile Creek ($18.3 million; 2015): Pave 3.8 miles of Interstate 84 with reinforced con- crete; repave ramps; construct bridge over Threemile Creek U.S. 26: Willamette River (Ross Is- land Bridge) Phase 1 ($40.7 million; 2015): Paint the bridge OR 213: Mulino to Blackman’s Corner ($2.8 million; 2015): Pave 5 miles of OR-213 OR 99W: Amity to Monmouth ($19 million): Pave 20 miles of OR 99W be- tween the south city limits of Amity and Monmouth, including ADA stan- dard sidewalk ramps in Monmouth U.S. 199: Slate Creek-Cave Junc- tion ($6 million): Pave 13 miles of U.S. 199 and add rumble strip for safety U.S. 395: Harney Co Line-Lake Abert ($15 million; 2015): Pave 33 miles of U.S. 395 U.S. 20: Black Canyon-Malheur River ($4.6 million): Chip seal 20 miles of U.S. 20. 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