Air Transport

A Boeing executive criticized the company's second-largest union for launching two public attacks about alleged management misdeeds in recent weeks without waiting for an internal response.

The remarks illustrate the growing rancour between the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) and Boeing VP of labour relations Doug Kite even as both sides prepare for the final round contract negotiations starting later this year.

In early August, SPEEA publicly raised questions about whether Boeing was using employee pension funds to finance executive bonuses. SPEEA later also accused Boeing of abusing the US immigration process for foreign workers.

"They published [the first press release] without any facts," Kite says. "SPEEA had sent us a letter requesting information, and we were in the process of gathering the information when they issued that press release.

"And they did it again without any facts or basis whatsoever," Kite says. "So draw your own conclusions."

Kite says the SPEEA attacks will nonetheless have no influence on Boeing's position in the upcoming contract negotiations.

"I'm not going to let SPEEA's press releases impact the tone that comes from the Boeing Company," he says. "We're going to be respectful of them."

SPEEA executive director Ray Goforth later defended the union's decision to publish the press releases before receiving an official response from management. The union has sent various requests for information from Boeing, and has learned not to expect a response or even an email to acknowledge the request has been received, Goforth says.