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.
Gradine Storms,
Principal Broker
Member of CWA Local 7901
7886 SE 13th, Portland, OR•Cell/Text 503-784-8326
gstorms@equitygroup.com Linkedin/GradyStorms
Low Prices!
Broadway Floral
for the BEST flowers call
503-288-5537
Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
JUNE 6, 2014
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
1638 NE Broadway, Portland
PAGE 9