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Steps to a meaningful voice at Seal Beach

Identify changes we want to make in our workplace

Boeing employees at Seal Beach are talking to each other about changes we want to make in our workplace. We know from talking across floors and groups most of the improvements and issues are above the pay grade of our first-level managers. To get the attention of Boeing’s decision-makers, we need to collectively raise our issues. That is why we are forming a union at Seal Beach.

It is great Boeing has begun to address some of our longstanding issues impacting our work at Seal Beach; such as under-staffing and issuing overdue and out-of-sequence raises. Now is the time to keep talking about our issues and solutions AND work to secure improvements in a professional, legally-binding union contract. This will lock in improvements and ensure they cannot be changed without employee input in the future.

We, the employees, control the pace of our effort. Your participation is critical to our success. We encourage you to take our survey on workplace issues and ask your peers to take the survey today. Survey results will be the first step in our speaking with a stronger, collective voice.

Unite support for our union at Seal Beach

We encourage our peers to learn more about the difference a union can make. Read the FAQ on this website and examples of how SPEEA members have solved workplace problems. Return to the site frequently as new questions and answers will be added. We encourage you to talk to your peers and get the facts. We’ve already heard some misinformation. Connect with us and let us know what your questions are.

In order to move towards a union election, a strong majority of employees will need to sign a union card or petition stating an intent to vote “YES” in a union election. We can then file for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). A vote by secret ballot is then scheduled and administered by the NLRB. A simple majority voting YES (50% + 1) of votes cast, creates our union bargaining unit and gives us a seat at the table.

Negotiate our contract

If a majority of employees vote to be union, we can begin to take our experiences and ideas for solutions to the bargaining table.

Negotiating a contract is a participatory, democratic process — every one of us has a role to play.

Employees elect a team of co-workers from across Seal Beach to represent us in negotiations with management. Our team puts together a bargaining proposal based on input from surveys and meetings with employees.

The bargaining team — with support from legal and negotiating experts from SPEEA — meets with Boeing leadership to reach an agreement on the solutions.

We, the union members, would then have the final say. Once we reach a tentative agreement with Boeing leadership, we have a chance to review it and ask questions. Then we hold a vote — no contract can be accepted unless a majority of our co-workers vote to approve it.

 

How will Boeing react to our effort to form a union?

Corporations know when employees join together to negotiate, they are often successful in improving their pay, benefits and working conditions. That’s why it is common for employers to resist employees’ efforts to have a real voice in decision-making.

Unions improve employee-management relations in the long run. Aerospace professionals represented by SPEEA are able to collaborate with management to achieve results that benefit everyone.

We know from workers who organized at Boeing what to expect:

Management will hold meetings to dissuade employees from forming a union. The company will share a lot of information with employees in an effort to keep us from working together. The company will likely call our union, CREATE, a “third-party” instead of the truth - the union is us.  We contacted SPEEA to help us bring together the collective voice of professionals at Seal Beach, because management doesn’t hear us as individuals on important issues.  

Don’t be surprised if the following happens as we move forward:

·         Higher level management/HR/VPs will try to engage with us more

·         LOTS of meetings on work time with management/HR trying to build more trust

·         Temporary fixes to some of our issues (let’s get them in a contract!)

·         Requests for a “second chance” on some of our longstanding issues

·         Lots of FAQ/handouts/website updates meant to confuse or create doubt

As we move forward and build support, there will be misinformation and confusing information circulating.  Boeing will probably spend money on expensive firms to attempt to keep us union-free. These firms have playbooks for how to convince employees they don’t need a union.  We want Boeing to save their money by not hiring outsiders and spend it on us, the employees who are asking for a seat at the table.

We encourage our peers to get the facts and not let Boeing divide us in the process.  Ultimately, the decision to form a union is made by us, not managers.

I was a non-union engineer who reached out to SPEEA years ago when our group’s job security was being threatened. Boeing immediately started to pay attention to our problems. We were happy for the attention, but we knew any promises could be taken a…

I was a non-union engineer who reached out to SPEEA years ago when our group’s job security was being threatened. Boeing immediately started to pay attention to our problems. We were happy for the attention, but we knew any promises could be taken away anytime if we didn’t have a contract. Boeing sent us a lot of emails and held required meetings with individual employees and in groups. The company told us we didn’t need a “stranger” at the table. There was a lot of misinformation and rumors as well. We didn’t let Boeing divide us and successfully joined SPEEA. Looking back, the decision to help form our union was huge in my life. Today, I have a real voice in the workplace. I continue to be a workplace union advocate, especially welcoming new hires to SPEEA.

Roger Aisaka

Boeing Electrical Engineer - Facilities

#UnionByChoice

 

Your rights at work

With interest and participation building at Seal Beach, we are gaining momentum for a union election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and securing the right to bargain workplace issues with a strong, collective voice.

Employees have a right to form a union at Seal Beach. We hope management will not interfere with our rights to talk about our issues, solutions, and forming our union. We know Boeing would like to keep Seal Beach non-union. It is common for companies to resist allowing employees to have a voice in the decision-making process. Ultimately, the decision about forming a union is up to employees, not the company.

We, the employees at Boeing Seal Beach, control the timeline to get to a union election. Information about the process and your rights to form a union are available on the NLRB website. Enforcement of the law doesn’t happen by itself. If, at any time, you feel your rights are violated, document the incident (date, time, what was said and names of any witnesses) and contact a SPEEA representative at 1-800-325-0811 x3141.

Learn more about your rights at work.

 
 

CREATE survey

As professional aerospace employees, we take great pride in our work at The Boeing Company. We are getting organized and want you to work with us to create an even better workplace, one that is inclusive and supportive of all employees. Your voice and your ideas are crucial to our success!

Use a personal device to take this short, confidential survey about workplace issues on non-work time in non-work areas.

Individual answers are confidential. Only aggregate results are shared.