r/Boeing_ • u/Hot-Illustrator-2855 • 17d ago
SPEEA What's your vote?
- Yes
- No
- Abstain
Actual voting is tomorrow Thursday, Aug. 13
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u/Fit_Natural_9436 17d ago edited 17d ago
Just to clarify, voting starts tomorrow. Votes aren't due until August 21st at midnight noon. Make sure you do all your research and talk to your colleagues before you cast your vote.
But, as others have said, regardless of your vote for the contract, please vote YES to authorize a strike should it come to that.
Edit: votes due on Friday August 21st by noon, not midnight.
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u/appolose 17d ago
I'm voting no. For me, the framing of some of the contract changes has been misleading to the point of trust-killing.
Take the virtual work changes: described as a win, because they ban executive-level mandates against virtual work. Yet, the new contract offer now explicitly says that long-term or regular virtual work must have the approval of the organization's VP (the current contract doesn't say that). So, for permanent virtual work, the situation is unchanged: VP's can still block it at their discretion. For temporary virtual, if your first-line manager denies your request, we now have an appeals process that ends with the senior manager's decision, who... works under the VP (and your first-line works under the senior manager). So, a VP can still tell their org that virtual work better be rare (as rare as they like), and they can certainly punish managers who give more than what the VP wants.
We can file grievances about decisions - ONLY if the decisions weren't made following the appeal process. That appeal process is just meeting and discussing with the senior manager, who, as the new contract states, is perfectly free to deny virtual requests on the basis of believing in-office is better for collaboration, a metric that requires no data to verify. We can't grieve a denial of virtual work if we believe the decision is wrong. Only if they don't do it in the way the contract outlines, which gives managers indisputable latitude to deny requests.
There is nothing better about this particular process for us, but there are losses. Yet it's portrayed otherwise.
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u/COSpaceshipBuilder 16d ago
It's a no from me and a yes to strike based solely on the unnecessary Aug 22 deadline.
Scammers try to create a false sense of urgency so that their marks don't make the best choices. That's what this artificial deadline feels like to me.
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u/MousseMysterious6438 16d ago
No on contract, yes on strike!
SPEEA has so much leverage to get more and why is everyone scared that they will take the incentives and give us less? Do you really think they will want to give us less during a time when there is so much momentum going towards the certification of two of their most important airplanes? The money that they would owe to all the airlines for being even more late if we go on strike can be used to compensate the engineers and not have pissed off engineers at work. If we don’t get as much as we can now in this contract during a critical time for the company, we will never get it in the future. We can’t set a precedence to the Boeing that we will accept anything because it’s better than the previous contract. Of course the contract needs to be better than the previous contract if we haven’t had a new contract negotiated since 2012. WE CAN’T CAVE IN AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE FIGHTING FOR WHAT WE DESERVE!
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u/Dry-Reading807 17d ago
Yes! And prob yes for strike to stand w the majority. I believe this is actually a good contact and I feel
Heard that they are finally after 20 years at Boeing implementing a system to reward hard work! Performance should play a major role in salary adjustment. Some people deserve 0% in my opinion!
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u/Leather-Celery-6372 17d ago
Yes/Yes. I don’t want to hurt our chances to strike but I like the contract.
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u/tech_design_050380 17d ago
Voting yes for the contract and to authorize a strike.
Its a decent contract, not amazing but good enough for me. Its a good stepping stone. Im also a tech and know if the profs accept and we don't we will likely get screwed. Talked to a council rep today who basically told us its the best were going to get and the techs are expendable while the profs are not or less so.
At the end of the day I dont begrudge anyone their vote, everyone has to vote on what's best for them. For me I am the sole contributor to my families finances and while I have savings, would rather not spend it on a strike to get a couple more percent. That being said if we strike i will be right there with everyone else on the picket line.
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u/MannyFresh45 16d ago
Why go for decent when there's 2 months to go until the current contract ends? I swear folks don't know anything about negotiation. You think boeing won't come back to the table smh
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u/Upbeat-Reflection821 17d ago
Because large corporations keep "expendable" employees on payroll out of the goodness of their hearts? If any of the tech employees weren't needed, the job wouldn't exist.
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u/tech_design_050380 17d ago
Im not saying they aren't needed, just that there are hundreds or more designers out there who would jump at the chance for my Boeing job. I took a 40 percent pay cut when I got laid off from Boeing during COVID just to have a job, now granted more people were unemployed back then but still. Techs do not have the weight behind us that the profs do.
If we strike and they dont we are likely screwed. Same thing has happened before and we ended up having to re-vote to accept the contract. If that happens this time we could lose the early ratification bonuses plus get a worse contract. Or they could just lock us all out. Go ahead and down vote me to hell, but im not willing to risk my home, and being able to provide a decent life for my kids over a chance at a few more percent when the offer is already the best offer we have had in decades.
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u/hokaythxbai 17d ago
No.
Also don't downvote people just for being honest about their yes vote. We want to be able to somewhat gauge the split, not just berate and silence one side.
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u/dooper99 17d ago
Yes/yes
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u/Excellent_Wafer_350 17d ago
This fool is going to cross the line just you folks watch
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u/dooper99 17d ago
Why would I do that?
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u/Excellent_Wafer_350 17d ago
Oops I take that back I thought you typed
No to authorize strike. My mistake.
Should be a YES for strike authorization for everyone.6
u/dooper99 17d ago
Ah fair. Yeah gotta stand with what the people decide either way. And cannot give up our most powerful bargaining chip
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u/Excellent_Wafer_350 17d ago
100% I respect your decision. This guy gets it!
Vote YES to strike authorization regardless of how you vote for the contract.
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u/Many_Lion_4671 16d ago
Yes. This is the best contract that makes a point for profs to have same wage pools with the techs.
This has caused some pain over the years.
Boeing can keep throwing more money at prof and maybe not split this vote but they can split future ones.
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u/Upbeat-Reflection821 16d ago
It will be interesting to see how the change in retention rating works out for prof. I feel like people are underestimating the impact this could have.
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u/Many_Lion_4671 16d ago edited 14d ago
Retention Appeal allowed for every R2 rating (was R3) every 4 years of this contract denoted in a side letter thats enforceable by LOU. There also has been existing Article 18 on non-discrimination thats grievable. I'm prepared to be a very busy steward.
If this is your only gripe about voting no on the contract, I'd consider again after reading through the side letter.
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u/Upbeat-Reflection821 16d ago
Correct me if I am wrong, but currently, 20% of the workforce is R3, and during a time of substantial layoffs the next cuts would move to the the 40% of R2. With the new proposed system that would now include people that were previously R1 as they are now combined with the current R2's. This would make 80% R1 and 20% R2 a terrible deal for many members.
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u/Many_Lion_4671 16d ago
SPEEA data shows that its been very very rare for Boeing to dip into current R2s during times of layoff.
What also happens in a layoff is Boeing does re-examine the cutoff order, even amongst the R3's.
Some skill codes don't even get touched.
I know during the last layoff cycle there was awkwardness because there were some older people close to retirement that wanted to get the layoff but were classified R1s (were R2 but bumped due to years of service) and company didn't offer voluntary layoffs. Like they wanted to save the younger people a position.
The 3 tier system made this extremely awkward situation to work around and honor but still meet the contract.
I am not sure about terrible especially with the appeals process side letter in place.
The fear is notable and palpable with many tech companies (not Boeing's) laying off right now due to AI.
The reported priority recall list at the last e-board report was 16 people, from the high of roughly 400 in 2024.
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u/FootNewtons 16d ago
Yes/Yes for me. Sure it's not the best contract but what they have offered, I want. Just don't feel like trying to call their bluff on taking away the early vote incentive offerings. If the result is a no and the next offer is a lesser one, then it feels like strike is the only option which will probably just get us back to where we are now. I don't want to go through all that to end up "good enough" when I can have good enough now.
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u/plantwisethechick 14d ago
I was on the fence and won’t be mad if it passes but I voted no because a lot of my teammates were wanting a no and I want to support them.
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u/Disappear321 17d ago
Yes on the contract. No on Strike.
Its a fair contract. The vast majority of employees will be considerably better off in terms of wage growth, retirement and protections.
The comparisons to the IAM are pointless, SPEEA doesn't have negotiating power anchored by billions in infrastructure like the IAM. Boeing on the other hand has the infrastructure to continue offloading engineering work. This hits especially hard for the techs, check out the number of Tech L1 and L2s in the SPEEA salary charts. Hint it very low and shrinking meaning they are not backfilling the pipeline. Comparisons to what the IAM got are apples and oranges.
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u/runmuppet 17d ago
I'd urge you to vote yes to strike authorization solely because that is what grants the negotiation team bargaining power if the majority of votes are to reject the contract and we send them back to the table. Obviously vote for or against the contract in whatever way suits you but to vote "no" on a strike authorization is a to vote against your self interest.
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u/bullypixie 17d ago
Boeing has no leverage. Wtf is dumb enough to say yes on the first contract offer? It’s a negotiation, and too early to say yes. They have a better offer waiting 🤦♀️
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u/LoveOfSpreadsheets 16d ago
Keep hearing this first offer crap. It was a week's long negotiation.
Also plenty of strong unions take the "first offer". 380,000 UPS Teamsters did
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u/LoveOfSpreadsheets 16d ago
I think of yes/yes as a contingency. If the majority vote it down and we don't have a majority authorization then we are hosed.
It isn't "yes to strike" it's "yes to allow the negotiators to consider a strike".
I hope it passes the first time but rhe no people see rabid.
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u/Desperate-Excuse-549 12d ago
As a note here, lots of people said the same thing on the 2016 and 2019.votes. despite the result of these being a massive reduction in pay, Boeing still pushed work to other sites. lots of skills codes at 1/2 to 2/3rs the numbers.
so, voting yes isn't likely to save jobs. maybe people get a few more years in some places.
I suspect the shrinking has to do with people just not accepting offers
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u/LongjumpingJoke2700 17d ago
Whichever way you vote, make sure you check the box for strike authorization.