Outreach effort brings members to Olympia

Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 2001 • www.speea.org

New Council Rep training – P2

Extras on Spotlite app – P3

Representing aerospace professionals with competence, integrity and action

Founder turns 100 – P4

January 30, 2015 / No. 2221

Aerospace tax incentives Candidates for Executive Board regional VP

Seven members stepped up to run for four regional v ice pres ident seats on the Executive Board. The

following candidates are l isted in the order they will appear on the ballot (as determined by the Tellers).

Northwest• Brent McFarlane• Lynn Burow• Shannon Moriarty• Michael Hochberg• Joel Funfar

Midwest• Keith A. Covert• Emily Forest

The Tellers validated petitions and deter-mined the order of the names on the ballots in a random drawing following the petition deadline Jan. 28.Ballot packages, including candidate state-ments and responses to regional Council-approved questions, go in the mail to Northwest members’ homes by Feb. 25. Ballots will be due Wednesday, March 11.All Executive Board vice presidents start their two-year terms March 25.

IAM 751 president: ‘Your issues are our issues’

At the January Counci l meet-ing, SPEEA leaders saw firsthand how strong the ties are with the

International Association of Machinists (IAM), particularly on Washington state’s aerospace tax incentives.“Your issues are our issues,” said Jon Holden, IAM District 751 president, who was a guest speaker at the meeting. “Working together, and standing together, is where we need to be.”Members and staff of both unions are meet-

ing with state lawmakers to urge accountability in the $8.7 billion tax incentives to Boeing and other aerospace companies. Noting the challenges, Holden highlighted the importance of securing language that ensures the tax incentives sustain and create living-wage jobs. “You’ve seen more than anybody what’s happened since that (aero-space tax incentive) passed,” he

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

I SUPPORTI SUPPORT

Tax IncentiveTax Incentive

AccountabilityAccountability

District Lodge 751

For Jim Lee, 15 minutes in Olympia with his state representative may help to save jobs.

The lawmaker he met with, a Republican, offered initial support for legislation that would add accountability to the $8.7 billion aerospace tax incentive. The goal is to add specific lan-guage to create and maintain jobs.Lee is a Council Rep in Boeing Research and Technology (BR&T) in Seattle, where they are facing significant layoffs. Lee shared what was

happening in his area from his perspective.“It didn’t take very long – they (the lawmakers) are interested,” he said. “They know the value of money and don’t want to see it wasted.”

Outreach effortMore than 20 other SPEEA Council Reps and members have already met with their lawmakers to urge stronger ties to Washington state jobs in

Council Rep Jim Lee shared his experience of meeting with his state representative at a recent Council meeting. Chelsea Orvella, SPEEA legislative director, at left, is organizing the member outreach to lawmakers.

Shown from left: Jon Holden, IAM District 751 president, and Ryan Rule, SPEEA president, prior to the SPEEA Council meeting.

SEATTLE HALL15205 52nd Ave S • Seattle, WA 98188

M-Th, 8 am to 5 pm • Fri, 8 am to 4:30 pmPhone: (206) 433-0991

1 (800) 325-0811

EVERETT HALL2414 106th St. SWEverett, WA 98204

M-F, 8 am to 4:30 pmPhone: (425) 355-2883

WICHITA HALL973 S Glendale St • Wichita, KS 67218

M-Th, 8:30 am to 5 pm • Fri, 8 am to 4:30 pmPhone: (316) 682-0262

President Ryan Rule

Executive DirectorRay Goforth

Executive BoardBob Wilkerson TreasurerJimmie Mathis SecretaryJoel Funfar NW Regional VP Michael E. Hochberg NW Regional VP Brent McFarlane NW Regional VP Keith Covert MW Regional VP

SPEEA Council OfficersShannon Moriarty ChairGordon Yip TreasurerTheryl Johnson Secretary

Midwest Regional Council OfficersMark Gayer ChairMatthew Joyce TreasurerJo Miklos Secretary

Northwest Regional Council OfficersDave Baine ChairCarrie Rule TreasurerRebekah Hewitt Secretary

SPEEA PublicationsBill Dugovich Communications DirectorLori Dupuis Graphic DesignerKaren McLean Publications Editor

speea@speea.orgwww.speea.org

2 • SPEEA NEWS / January 30, 2015 / No. 2221

Autism class action settled

New CR training in WichitaThe newly seated Council Reps in Wichita met with SPEEA Contract Administrator Steve Spyridis for training. He’s shown here in the Wichita office Jan. 15, with the CRs, along with SPEEA Midwest Vice President Keith Covert. In the training, Spyridis covered the Council Reps’ responsibilities, such as what to do if a bargaining unit employee requests a union representative at a disciplinary meeting or security interview (Weingarten rights).

Still time to nominate activists

Help us recognize those activists who make a difference for SPEEA and their communities. Remember to

submit your nomination(s) for any of the awards below by Wednesday, Feb. 25, to terryh@speea.org.

Northwest activist awardsRecipients of the following awards will be honored at the Northwest Recognition Banquet. See the form at www.speea.org.

• New activists• Outstanding activist• Special leader• Lifetime achievement

Pezzini HOPE award The Stephen Pezzini Helping Other People Excel (HOPE) award honors a SPEEA mem-ber who could be considered ‘volunteer of the year’ for their union activism and community service. This is a SPEEA-wide award. Submit specific examples with your nomination by Feb. 25 to terryh@speea.org.

Boeing improves benefits for autism and

neurodevelop-mental therapy

In a class-action settlement, Washington employees with children in need of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) ther-

apy for autism will now have coverage under Boeing’s self-insured medical plans.  For cov-erage requirements and more details, please contact Total Access. Effective Jan. 1, 2015, medically necessary ABA therapy for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is covered by an expanded list of healthcare provid-ers.  The therapy addresses the significant social, communication and behavioral chal-lenges facing those with ASD.Boeing also announced the age limit has been removed for neurodevelopmental therapy (for brain and central nervous system disorders). Previously, the age limit was six years old.The changes only apply to Boeing self-insured plans, which are administered by BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois.  Local and regional HMOs are not affected by this change.

St. Patricks’s Day BINGO in Wichita

The Midwest Membership Activities Committee is planning its annual free St. Patrick’s Day BINGO at SPEEA

Wichita, Saturday, March 14.

Members and their families are welcome to join the fun, which includes refreshments and prizes, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. If interested, be sure to RSVP to vickim@speea.org. This event draws a crowd of all ages!

UPCOMING TRAINING/EVENTS

Puget Sound

See online calendar for details RSVP where you plan to attend

Wichita

SPEEA NEWS / January 30, 2015 / No. 2221 • 3

Northwest Council Guest NightThursday, Feb. 12

Off site – Tukwila

SPEEA 101 Wednesday, March 18

SPEEA Everett

Tuesday, March 24SPEEA Tukwila

St. Patrick’s Day BINGO*Saturday, March 14

1:30 to 4 p.m.SPEEA Wichita

Free to members and their families – prizes and refreshments

*Hosted by the Midwest Membership Activities Committee (MAC)

Check out what’s new with Spotlite App

If you already down-loaded your f ree SPEEA Spotlite App,

look for the ‘extras’ com-ing to the App the first week of February.In addition to the SPEEA

Spotlite on your smartphone or tablet, the same app takes you to the SPEEA contracts, maps and calendar.Simply scroll down to the bottom of the Spotlite and click on the ‘extras.’ Each month, with each new issue, the ‘extras’ will appear at the end.

The extra pages provide another way for members to readily access information. Look for more ‘extras’ in the coming months as SPEEA expands its offerings.

Where to get the AppHaven’t downloaded the Spotlite App yet? Simply visit your App Store and search for SPEEA. Then, download and install the free Spotlite App. Links to the App Store pages are also posted on the SPEEA mobile website. Go to www.speea.org from your mobile device. Links are on the top of the homepage.

Spotlite App extras

Astronaut speaking at Museum of Flight

SEATTLE–Joan Higginbotham will talk about her career as the third, female African-American

space shuttle astronaut during a spe-cial presentation at 2:30 p.m., Feb. 7, at The Museum of Flight in Seattle.In 2006, Higginbotham logged more than 300 hours in space as a crew-member of a shuttle mission to the International Space Station. Her pri-mary duty in orbit was to operate the station's lengthy robotic crane

known as Canadarm2. The program is free with admission to the museum.   

Joan Higginbotham

Making time for PM DefineMembers came to the Puget Sound SPEEA halls (Tukwila shown here) to learn more about how to maximize the Performance Management process. SPEEA Contract Administrator Steve Spyridis covers insights on how the PM process applies to raises and retentions, for example. Lunchtime workplace meetings are also available. Council Reps can schedule by emailing steves@speea.org.

Wichita Movie Night canceledBecause the Wichita Warren Avenue Theatre pulled the movie ‘Mortdecai,’ scheduled for the SPEEA Valentine’s Movie Night, the Midwest Membership Activities Committee (MAC) can-celed the event. The movie was pulled due to low attendance in light of poor reviews.

One of SPEEA’s founders turns

100!Back before

SPEEA nego-tiated its first

contract, one of SPEEA’s founders, Richard Henning helped draft the SPEEA constitu-tion. As he celebrat-ed his 100th birth-day, he looked back at SPEEA’s early years. See his story

in the February Spotlite.

M I D W E S T M E E T I N G S ( A L L T I M E S C S T )NORTHWEST MEETINGS ( A L L T I M E S P S T )

UPCOMING MEETING SCHEDULES

Week of February 2, 2015Monday, Feb. 2 4:00 p.m. Council Offi cers MeetingTuesday, Feb. 3 5:00 p.m. Leadership Development & TrainingWednesday, Feb. 4 4:30 p.m. ACT CommitteeThursday, Feb. 5 4:00 p.m. Executive Board

Week of February 9, 2015Monday, Feb. 9 4:30 p.m. New Hire CommitteeTuesday, Feb. 10 4:30 p.m. Tellers CommitteeThursday, Feb. 12 4:30 p.m. Council Meeting

Week of February 16, 2015Monday, Feb. 16 4:00 p.m. SPEEA Legislative & Public Aff airsTuesday, Feb. 17 4:00 p.m. Organizational PlanningWednesday, Feb. 18 4:00 p.m. SPEEA Governing DocumentsWednesday, Feb. 18 5:00 p.m. NW Governing DocumentsWednesday, Feb. 18 5:00 p.m. NW Membership Activities Committee Thursday, Feb. 19 4:00 p.m. Executive Board

Week of February 2, 2015Thursday, Feb. 5 4:30 p.m. MW Membership ActivitiesThursday, Feb. 5 6:00 p.m. Executive Board

Week of February 9, 2015Thursday, Feb. 12 4:30 p.m. Council Meeting

Week of February 16, 2015Monday, Feb. 16 6:00 p.m. SPEEA Legislative & Public Aff airsTuesday, Feb. 17 4:30 p.m. MW Governing DocumentsWednesday, Feb. 18 6:00 p.m. SPEEA Governing DocumentsThursday, Feb. 19 4:00 p.m. MW Legislative & Public Aff airsThursday, Feb. 19 6:00 p.m. Executive Board

Sign-up for home email www.speea.org

SPEEA NEWS / January 30, 2015 / No. 2221 • 4

SPEEA Council actions – Jan. 15

At their quarterly meeting, the SPEEA Council Reps voted on the following motion:

• M15-001 Proposed 2015-2016 SPEEA Council Budget. It is moved that: The SPEEA Council approves the proposed 2015-2016 Budget and sub-mits the proposed budget to the SPEEA Executive Board for consideration and incorporation into the SPEEA Budget. Amendment was made and seconded to strike line 16, IFPTE Tri-Annual Convention, from the SPEEA Council Budget. For: 81. Against: 10. The amend-ment carried. (This is included elsewhere in the SPEEA budget). The amended budget passed. For: 99. Against: 4.

Outreach effort brings members to Olympia Continued from page 1

said, noting layoffs due to work moving out of Puget Sound to other states with tax incen-tives tied to a minimum of jobs.“When you decrease engineering jobs, man-ufacturing jobs will follow,” he said.SPEEA and the IAM are also working on efforts to tie the incentives to living wages, particularly among the aerospace suppliers who also benefit from the incentives. Many who work at aerospace companies

outside of Boeing earn barely more than minimum wage, Holden said, which makes it difficult to raise a family without leaning on food banks, for example. “We will be successful in bringing this con-versation to the forefront,” Holden said. “It’s the right thing at the right time.” In closing, he added, “I believe in our cause. Together, we can overcome hurdles we might not alone. We have to stick together.”

IAM 751 president: ‘Your issues are our issues’ Continued from page 1

Dick Henning

the tax incentive and emphasize the need for living-wage jobs. At some suppliers that benefit from the tax incentive, workers with skills and experience in manufacturing barely make above minimum wage.“This is an opportunity for our legislators to do a heck of a lot of good,” Lee added.

He is a member of both the SPEEA and Northwest Legislative and Public Affairs (L&PA) commit-tees, along with Tony Hickerson, who also met with lawmakers in Olympia.“If I want my issues con-sidered,” said Hickerson, “I

have to get off my butt and go down there.”Hickerson has many good reasons for want-ing to see the tax incentives keep and grow jobs here. One example is his son, who has a Ph.D. in computer science but couldn’t find work in Puget Sound.“Our credibility is lost,” Hickerson said. “We promised our children if they worked hard and got degrees (in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)), they would have a job.”

Shrinking workforceNot only is his son affected. Hickerson, a

Kent Council Rep, sees layoffs daily as Boeing shrinks its defense workforce – moving jobs from Kent to other states, such as Missouri and Oklahoma.“I lost three engineers in one day,” said Hickerson, a Tech. “This exodus of essential skills and experience impacts our ability to get the job done.”Hickerson joined the L&PA committees in response to members’ questions about SPEEA’s involvement in politics. “What I found out is that my legislators needed me,” he said, noting how lawmakers more often hear from lobbyists in Olympia than con-stituents from their districts.”“As a civic duty and as a parent, we need to take part,” Hickerson said, “so the lawmakers can’t say they didn’t know the issues I brought up. We need to be part of the process.”

Take part in outreach effortInterested in a small-group meeting with your lawmakers to address the issue of accountability and living wage jobs tied to the aerospace tax incentives? Contact SPEEA Legislative Director Chelsea Orvella at chelseao@speea.org or call (206) 433-0991. 

Tony Hickerson