SPEEA fights for better benefits

The decerters' second example of SPEEA’s alleged "spin" is their contention that the union "claims it fights for better benefits for us" and, as proof of the alleged distortion, they post something from an anonymous HR rep that states "your benefits are exactly the same [as the non-reps], so no need to worry about change."

I guess the decert argument is, basically, "who are you gonna believe: HR or your lying eyes?!" because I recall seeing something quite different.

While it’s true we've as yet been unsuccessful fighting for the bonus benefit, we were quite successful in improving other benefits from those that were imposed upon us the day Spirit Aerosystems (nee “Midwestern Aircraft”) took us over. If you recall, we hadn't concluded negotiations with our new employer so, on "Day One," the new owners implemented their "non-represented" benefits package on us all, union and non-union alike. Then, 'bout a month later, SPEEA finished its negotiations and we received far better benefits than those imposed on Day One. (I'm not going to list them again here... go check my essay from the last time an unsuccessful decert attempt at Spirit tried this argument.)

That the Company then improved the non-rep benefits to the better ones SPEEA negotiated doesn’t change the fact that SPEEA did fight for -- and obtain -- better benefits for us than the Company would willingly give.

And contrary to what the pirouetting decert folks would have you believe.


-- Bill, who’s surprised an agent of the Company would actually promise no change in benefits if the decert is successful...

Round and round we go...

Well, this year’s Decert Team has their website up and, for a group who allege that they are above "spin," this sucker buzzes like the Hulk’s dreidel:

"[SPEEA has] perpetuated the myth that a Decertification effort would force SPEEA to withdraw its 3 year old lawsuit...SPEEA has a duty to continute to pursue a lawsuit affecting WTPU employees it legally represented in 2005.

First off, it isn’t SPEEA’s lawsuit to pursue, it’s Mr Harkness’, mine and my fellow named plaintiffs. So it wouldn’t much matter if "SPEEA" wanted the suit to go forward or not.

Second, SPEEA isn’t "representing" us. The class is represented by Arlus Stephens, of Davis, Cowell and Bowe in Wash DC. All SPEEA’s doing is paying the legal fees for the portion of Davis, Cowell’s work billed to SPEEA members portion of the class, much as the IAM is paying the legal fees for their union members. I assume other members of the class are responsible for their own legal fees, or they’ll be deducted from their final "class settlement" amount.

Now, as to some "duty" SPEEA has to decertied ex-members, all I can tell you is when the Boeing WTPU decertified, the union had to immediately stop pursuing active grievances with the company and arbitrations with the courts. While SPEEA may want to continue to help us, I can’t see why they’d be allowed greater participation in lawsuit proceedings on our behalf than they were allowed in grievance and arbitration procedings.

Look at the bright side... even if we do wind up having to pay the legal fees, at least we’ll be getting our pension and ERM back, unlike those poor, unrepresented "confidential" and "management" employees, who aren’t covered by the class and have little chance to recover their Boeing retirement benefits. They could probably take their bonus checks and try to find someone who'd be willing to work a class suit for them, but I don’t think "violated employers ‘at will’ work policies" has nearly the weight in court as does our "violated legal business contract" charge.


-- Bill, who thinks his $30/month insurance dues payments were well worth a $200K retirement payoff...