Boeing technical workers planning next move

 
No Author Published: February 20, 2013    Comment on this article Leave a comment

SEATTLE (AP) — The union for Boeing's technical workers is planning its next move after they rejected a contract offer, splitting with engineers represented by the same union who approved the deal.

photo - Workers begin to validate returned ballots at the headquarters of the union for Boeing Co.'s engineers and technical workers, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, in Tukwila, Wash. Members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) are voting on a contract offer from the company and whether to authorize a strike. The union represents 23,000 employees, mostly in the Puget Sound region. Negotiations began in April and union members rejected one offer in October. The previous contract expired in November. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Workers begin to validate returned ballots at the headquarters of the union for Boeing Co.'s engineers and technical workers, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013, in Tukwila, Wash. Members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) are voting on a contract offer from the company and whether to authorize a strike. The union represents 23,000 employees, mostly in the Puget Sound region. Negotiations began in April and union members rejected one offer in October. The previous contract expired in November. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

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The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace notified a federal mediator Wednesday to resume negotiations.

The union will survey members of the technical bargaining unit to determine their priorities, SPEEA said. They also voted Tuesday to authorize a strike, but a strike by the 7,400 technical workers is not imminent.

The 15,500 engineers who have a new four-year contract in place will play a supporting role in the talks.

The union had recommended rejection of the contract because it would not provide pensions to new employees. They would have a 401(k) retirement plan instead.

The Chicago-based aerospace company said the change was important to its future. The labor dispute continues as Boeing works to solve battery problems that have grounded its new 787s.

Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner said that the company was pleased with the engineers' vote but "deeply disappointed" in the technical workers' rejection of what he called the company's "best and final" offer.

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