SPEEA to Donate Up to $99,000 to Machinists on Strike at Boeing

SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001 President John Dimas presents a ceremonial check committing the union to providing up to $99,000 to the hardship fund for striking IAM 751 Machinists at Boeing. From left, IAM 751 Chief of Staff Jason Chan, IAM 751 President Jon Holden, SPEEA Secretary Ryan Rule, SPEEA Treasurer Dan Nowlin, SPEEA President John Dimas and SPEEA Northwest Vice President David Garrett. SPEEA’s Executive Board voted Oct. 3 to contribute $16,500 every two weeks to the IAM hardship fund for a period of three months.

October 4, 2024
For Immediate Release


SEATTLE -- SPEEA/IFPTE Local 2001, the union for aerospace professionals at Boeing, will donate up to $99,000 to the hardship fund for members of the International Association of Machinists District Lodge 751, who are on strike against the company.

The union’s Executive Board voted Thursday night to approve sending $16,500 to the fund every two weeks for the next three months, should the strike last that long.

The money will come out of SPEEA’s reserves.

SPEEA President John Dimas hailed the board’s decision. “Twenty-four years ago, when our union was on strike against Boeing, other labor unions stepped up to provide financial support for our members with donations to our hardship fund,” he said. “We are proud to return the favor today.”

SPEEA’s seven-member Executive Board is elected by union members to set policy and make budget decisions for the union.

The donation comes after Boeing canceled health insurance coverage for striking Machinists on Tuesday, a move that was loudly criticized by aerospace industry insiders.

“Boeing leadership has talked for weeks about wanting a ‘reset’ in its relationship with its unionized workforce,” said SPEEA Executive Director Ray Goforth. “Cutting off health insurance for the children and spouses of your employees certainly resets the relationship, but not in a positive way. Truly, it’s a huge step backward.”

Dimas and Goforth both called on Boeing to return to the bargaining table to work out an agreement that meets the needs of Machinists Union members. The two sides haven’t met since Sept. 27.

“Boeing has very real problems with quality, safety, profitability, and credibility,” Goforth said. “The first step toward solving all of those problems is getting the Machinists back to work with a collective bargaining agreement that rewards them for the value they create.”

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SPEEA is the professional aerospace union, representing nearly 17,000 engineers, scientists, technical workers, and pilots at Boeing facilities in Washington, Oregon, California, and Utah, as well as more than 2,000 engineers and technical workers at Spirit AeroSystems in Kansas. SPEEA is affiliated with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers as IFPTE Local 2001.

Media Contacts:
For SPEEA — Bryan Corliss (425) 327-3512
For IAM 751 — Deirdre Kaniewski (630) 373-5687