Catherwood LibraryILR School

One week into negotiations for three contracts covering approximately 19,300 engineers, the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace and the Boeing Corporation remain optimistic that they can avoid a repeat of the forty-day strike that occurred two years ago. Although it has been less than two months since the company narrowly avoided a strike in rancorous negotiations with the International Association of Machinists (see WIT?s for Sep. 17, and Aug. 30, 28 and 22, 2002), SPEERA and Boeing agree that the current negotiations have been friendly so far and that a number of minor issues have been settled already. With the pay, benefits and pension issues that caused the strike two-years ago not yet on the table, however, and Boeing in the midst of over 30,000 layoffs and planning further workforce reductions even as the union has clearly stated its opinion that the layoffs have gone far enough, further labor disputes at the company are still a possibility in the near future.