SPEEA Efforts Help Bring Back 58 Laid-off Employees

SPEEA recently achieved an agreement that requires the return to employment of 58 individuals who were laid off earlier this year. In addition to their jobs, they were also made whole for lost wages and benefits.  And the returned employees will have the layoff removed from their employment record.

The layoffs were part of the cost-cutting measures Boeing announced late last year. The result of these measures was the elimination of 2,600 workers from Boeing in Washington state, including 600 represented by SPEEA.

The agreement comes after SPEEA filed a grievance and a request for arbitration regarding at least two violations of the union’s contracts. The first violation was related to the non-disclosure of the use of a particular kind of non-Boeing Labor - Industry Assist - as is required by the contracts. The second violation covered the layoff of represented employees while retaining Industry Assist personnel performing the same work. 

Boeing initially denied the grievance, citing a contractual document purporting to show the non-Boeing Labor individuals (those that the union were grieving) were actually different kinds of non-Boeing labor (i.e., not Industry Assist) and hence not subject to the provisions associated with Industry Assist personnel. However, Boeing had signs in the workplace indicating the individuals were Industry Assist, and organization charts available online likewise stated that they were Industry Assist.

When SPEEA demanded a copy of the document describing the employment relationship, Boeing refused. SPEEA informed Boeing of our intent to file an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regarding Boeing’s refusal to provide data relevant to SPEEA contract enforcement. 

Ultimately, after a series of meetings with Boeing leadership, Boeing agreed to resolve the matter in SPEEA’s favor and restore the formerly laid-off individuals to their prior positions. Management has begun reaching out directly to impacted employees to arrange for their reinstatement.

From KING-TV in Seattle:
https://www.king5.com/article/tech/science/aerospace/boeing-reinstate-58-laid-off-workers-union-grievance-victory/281-9aab69ea-848b-4106-8a50-378f0c7adc4e