Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
The Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace/IFPTE (SPEEA/IFPTE) reached an agreement that requires Boeing to return to employment 58 individuals who were laid off this year. The workers also will receive missed wages and benefits and have the layoff removed from their employment record.
The layoffs were part of the cost-cutting measures Boeing announced last year. The result of these measures was the elimination of 2,600 jobs at Boeing in Washington state, including 600 represented by SPEEA.
The agreement comes after SPEEA filed a grievance and requested arbitration for at least two violations of the union’s contracts. The first violation was related to the nondisclosure of the use of a particular kind of non-Boeing labor; the second violation covered the layoff of represented employees while retaining personnel performing the same work. Boeing initially denied the grievance and SPEEA informed Boeing of its intent to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.
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.