What do you see as the primary challenges SPEEA faces in the near term and what are your solutions?
Financial Management. We need to spend SPEEA dues wisely. I will constantly be on the watch to keep our Union and staff expenditures lean. We need to eliminate unnecessary travel, monitor the staff budget, and be smart in the way the Union resources are spent. We need to control and limit all around spending to apply the same Lean principles to SPEEA operations to eliminate waste that we practice at work. With your vote, I will continue to monitor and help to control the budget to eliminate wasteful spending of your Union dues.
Appropriate Compensation. Last year we worked together with the Company to get a really good contract yet it could be better. We need to continue to work together, yet protect our individual rights as an employee such as enforcing the Contract and monitoring SRT’s. While it is good to have a general wage increase to keep up with the cost of living, it is also a good thing for the success of our Company to have pay for performance. We work hard, we have made this Company profitable as the best aerospace company in the world, therefore we should share in this profit as well.
Maintain Competitive Skills. This year we have seen an increase of new hires at the Company. I will work to provide mentoring and learning experiences for our new hires so that they can become highly contributing employees of the Company. I will also continue to promote excellent training opportunities for all members through the Ed Wells Partnership so that our Membership can continue to update our skills to remain competitive.
What would you bring to the Executive Board?
Experience. As your current NW Regional Vice President, I bring experience to the Board. Some of you remember the series of appeals that I had to go through to maintain my rightful position as Vice President. It was a tough road, but I knew I had to continue to do what was right for SPEEA. I will use this tenacity and the natural ability to know what is right, to ensure that SPEEA is run ethically to the best of my ability.
Not a Rubber Stamper. There are some members of the current Executive Board who will vote for anything the Executive Director or SPEEA President wants. While this “rubber stamping” is a very easy road to follow, I cannot do that. In your best interest, I think it is important to continuously question and challenge the status quo. I will continue to make sure our Union is run with the highest integrity and make sure our current leaders are accountable and responsible for every penny of your dues money that is spent.
How will you represent the Northwest region as a regional Vice President?
Members Rule. I listen to what the members are telling me. I worked in Everett for many years, as well as Renton, the Developmental Center and Kent. I know that each site is different, yet is similar in many ways. I have worked as both a Tech and Prof, so I understand the value that each bargaining unit brings to the success of our Company.
Transparency. SPEEA is YOUR Union. You have a right to know how your dues are spent and how the Union is run. You have a right to see staff salaries and staff contracts. I will work to ensure that you have access to every SPEEA transaction that your dues support.
Describe your level of SPEEA activism and your accomplishments.
Current Vice President. I have been a member of SPEEA since my first day of work in 1981. Growing up in a Machinist family, I know the value of a strong enabled union. I have been an Area Rep and became a Council Rep in 2001. I represented members in the workplace and attended council meetings where my interest in better managing the union began. I was encouraged to run for interim Vice President by President Cynthia Cole. After a series of appeals and the support of many respected long term SPEEA members, I finally won the election. I will continue to use this type of determination to fight for what is best for you and for our Union.
Oversee Union Operations. I am a member of the SPEEA/Boeing IDS Partnership Steering team where I help shape Union relations with the Company. I also participate in a variety of Executive Board committees including Communication, Policy and Staff where I help monitor the communication you see in your newsletters, help establish policy, influence Interim negotiations, along with oversee Union operations and monitor staff responsibilities. I am currently serving as your Northwest Vice President and with your vote, I will continue to represent you in your best interest.
Why are you interested in the Vice President position?
Do What’s Right. Over the last year, I have been involved in a series of appeals. I had the support of many trusted long-term fellow SPEEA members. It would have been easy to drop out of the race, but I felt the strong desire to continue because I knew I was the right person for the job. It is all volunteer work, I spend countless hours per week working for our Union, overseeing operations, trying to keep the spending down to keep our Union dues down, trying to keep our Union in the hands of the Membership as defined by our Constitution and governing documents.
Represent Your Best Interests. After serving as your Vice President last year, I can tell you that it is no picnic. I work very hard to make sure your best interests are being served. I do not allow the Executive Director nor the SPEEA President do whatever they want, simply because they are in a position to do so. I personally hold them accountable and responsible to make sure our Union is run ethically and your dues are spent wisely. With your vote, I will continue to serve as your Vice President.
Please vote for Jill Ritchey, Joel Funfar, and Michael Dunn. Ballots will be counted March 14. Please mail in your ballot today. With your help, we can be united on the Executive Board.
For more info, see www.speea.tv.