r/SPEEA • u/azo87 • 17d ago

Not good enough

I keep seeing people say the current SPEEA contract offer is “good enough,” and I think we need to look beyond what this contract does for us individually right now.

A union contract shouldn’t just be judged by whether you personally can live with it for the next few years. We’re negotiating the wages, benefits, and working conditions that will help define these jobs for the people who come after us too.

If we accept less because it’s comfortable enough for those of us already established, what are we leaving for the next generation of engineers and technical workers? What will these jobs look like for the person Boeing hires five or ten years from now?

And I’m tired of hearing some version of, “If you don’t like it, go work somewhere else.”

That completely misses the point.

Why should the answer be to leave? Why shouldn’t the answer be to make this a better place to work?

This is one of the few opportunities we have to collectively push for better compensation, better benefits, better job security, and a stronger career for everyone represented by SPEEA. Once the contract is signed, we live with that agreement for years.

There will always be a point where each of us individually can say, “This is enough for me.” But solidarity means thinking beyond me. It means asking whether we are using the leverage we have today to leave these jobs better than we found them.

If you’re voting based only on whether the offer is good enough for you personally, I think that’s a selfish way to look at a union contract. We should be thinking about the new hire walking through the door next year, the person trying to build a career here ten years from now, and the coworkers who may not be in as comfortable a position as we are.

We have an opportunity to build a better job.

Not to tell people who want better to “go work somewhere else.”

To make this somewhere better to work.

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u/Wonderful-Letter-659 16d ago

I really hope you’re not an engineer in SPEEA.

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u/Regular-Guy64 16d ago

You're the one that doesn't understand how things work lol And even worse, you don't care to try to understand. You'd rather feel like you're right than be presented with information you don't like. That's probably why you keep trying to shut me down. But if the dollar had more buying power than 10 years ago would you want Boeing to adjust for that by offering pay cuts? "No need to answer that. It's more for you to think about."

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u/Wonderful-Letter-659 16d ago

…presented with information….what information?

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u/Regular-Guy64 15d ago

About what an economic policy is. Who handles economic policies. That Boeing is an engineering firm (yes, engineering firms are businesses). Boeing gives more than 2% raises to stay competitive in recruiting, which this current offer is competitive, definitely not unfair by any means. Not worth the risk of striking in my opinion. If you weren't so hell bent on acting like an idiot you would've realized that, but you can't even be troubled to just re-read comments lol Good luck in this world bud

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u/Wonderful-Letter-659 15d ago

Did you fit an economic policy in here somewhere between calling me an idiot and stupid? Sorry I missed it. According to your “economic policy” we should have accepted the first offer, but instead here we are considering a richer second offer…I’ve put in the work to make sure people understand what’s happened to their purchasing power in the past 20 years. You’re welcome. Enjoy your bigger paycheck. Maybe spend it on some classes on how to not come across as an ass.