SPEEA is an AFL-CIO union that represents about 22,000 employees in the Puget Sound region. Its members walked out February 9 after rejecting the company's second contract offer by a 51 percent majority of engineers and 61 percent of technical workers. The union says nearly 19,000 members walked off the job last week. Even Boeing admits that 17,000 walked out in the Seattle area. According to SPEEA, 100 percent of its members walked out in the Joint Strike Fighters, Airborne Laser, Avionics, and F-22 programs.

As the Wall Street Journal noted, "Support of the walkout appeared especially broad in light of the fact that only about 12,000 workers are dues-paying union members." The press is already referring to this labor action as the largest walkout of "white collar" workers in U.S. history. While the strike is centered in the Seattle area, SPEEA members in Spokane, Washington; Oregon; Utah; Kansas; Texas; and Florida are also on strike.

The strength of the strike has surprised Boeing, which along with the news media and Wall Street analysts predicted there would be no strike, and then when it began, that the strike would be ineffective and short. Peter Jacobs, aerospace analyst for the Ragen MacKenzie Group Inc., said, "I would be surprised if the engineers had the resolve to stay out of work for a long duration." But Mike Messenger, an assembler and International Association of Machinists (IAM) member in Everett where the 747, 767, and 777 planes are assembled, who joined the February 13 rally, thought it "was a strong show of support for the strike."

The main disagreements with Boeing that SPEEA members have are "compensation, bonuses, and wages, " said Roger Daninger, a technician at Boeing's Everett plant. "All we want is the same thing they gave the IAM." SPEEA members want pay raises guaranteed for all workers, instead of leaving them largely up to supervisors' discretion as Boeing insists. They also demanded cost-of-living adjustments, COLA, like those the Machinists have, a proposal Boeing turned down. Many SPEEA members also say Boeing's life insurance package involved a cut compared to their previous contract's benefits.

Boeing countered that it has "been preparing for any eventuality and will do our best to maintain operations for our customers and to protect the rights of workers who choose to stay on the job." Senior executive James Dagnon told reporters that the engineers' "expectations got out of line with reality," and that they have to understand that "the rules have changed."  
 

Stiffening competition

Boeing, locked in a fierce competition with Airbus, its European rival, has lowered its prices to win orders. This has cut substantially into profits, which is unacceptable to Boeing's wealthy owners. In a severe cost-cutting drive, the bosses have eliminated tens of thousands of jobs, and instituted work speedup in order to shore up profits. At the same time, they are expanding production of military aircraft and missiles and related space and communications work.

Laurie Farmer, a Renton senior specialist engineer said: "I never thought I'd go on strike," but he was "disgusted" by the company's treatment of the engineers. More than one striker has pointed to the bosses' decision to acquire Hughes' satellite division for $3.5 billion cash as an example of Boeing's deep pockets.

Rick Smolen, a design technician in Everett, explained he voted no on the contract. "When it came down to it, Boeing wanted to take as much from us as it could. Because it knew the only way it could get the IAM to pay medical on their next contract was to get SPEEA to pay medical first."

Many strikers are clearly proud about their actions. "It's about time we did this," said Jon Sergeant, a SPEEA technical worker on the picket line at Renton. "In the past, we haven't looked like much of a union. But today, we're starting to look like a union. We're sticking together," he said.  
 

Solidarity

Support for the strike is growing from industrial workers and their unions. For example, two carpenters and their wives, on strike against Valley Manufactured Housing came from Sunnyside, Washington, to show their support. Cipriano, one of the strikers, addressed the rally in Spanish. "We came here to support you today. We're on strike for the same reasons you are." When he told the crowd, "We've been getting lots of support, but that's what's needed to win," the strikers cheered in appreciation. A representative of the Washington state AFL-CIO also spoke in support of the strike at the rally.

Teamster members at UPS have honored picket lines, as have union crews for the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe railroad. When Boeing tried to open a separate warehouse for deliveries in Southcenter near the Renton plant, SPEEA started picketing there, successfully turning away UPS trucks. SPEEA officials also announced that electrical contractors walked off the job in South Boeing field, and that B-1B contractors left Plant II in Seattle.

Meanwhile, the strike is having an impact on the 35,000 members of the IAM who continue to work every day assembling the planes. Many IAM members are sympathetic to the strike, and are putting up signs on their tool boxes and bulletin boards put out by the IAM that say, "IAM Machinists: We Support SPEEA."

At the same time IAM officials have made it clear that workers must abide by a no strike clause in the contract. "The Machinists are bound by a contract that requires them to report to work regardless of the actions of other represented employees," said IAM 751 spokesman Tim Flynn the day the strike began.

The company has created, deepened, and played upon the divisions between the assembly workers and the engineers and technicians for years, resulting in some IAM members not yet supporting the SPEEA strike. Early in the strike, some SPEEA members carried signs that said "No Brains, No Planes," that rankled some IAM members and officials, since it implied that production workers didn't have brains.

The press has picked up on these divisions, and has tried to accentuate it. For example, the Seattle Times ran an entire article entitled "Machinists doubt strikers' resolve." But that is breaking down as the striker's prove their seriousness, and win respect. For example, a mechanic passing through the picket line at Renton on his way home asked a SPEEA picket, "Why should I support you? You did our work when we struck in '95." The picket responded, "We shouldn't have. We weren't a real union then. Now we are."

Don Tarkalson, a preflight mechanic in Kent said, SPEEA members "have legitimate complaints. Its good to see them finally sticking together." Other IAM members take a more active role in supporting the strike. Muriel Truax, an Auburn inspector in the IAM, joined the picket line with her husband, a SPEEA member, saying: "I'm so proud of those people."

Scott Breen is a member of the IAM and works at Boeing.  
 
 
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