Nearly 1,000 in Spirit AeroSystems union will get $4,000 for approving new contract

Editor’s note: This story has been corrected from an earlier version to reflect the correct, average annual salary for SPEEA engineers.

Nearly 1,000 union-represented employees at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita are learning the details this week of a new, six-year contract offer from the aircraft supplier.

And officials of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace, or SPEAA, are recommending their Wichita Engineering Unit members approve the offer.

If the contract is approved, all represented employees will receive a $4,000 ratification bonus.

Other parts of the contract call for annual $1,500 bonuses into members’ health savings accounts between 2019 and 2023, and minimum annual raises that will vary for each represented employee.

“The vast majority of people are going to see more than $1,250” in annual salary increases, said Rich Plunkett, SPEEA’s director of strategic development.

SPEEA said medical insurance premiums would increase under the new contract. But, it said, Spirit would provide “significant company funding” for members who have a health savings account.

Also, overtime pay would increase. It would rise from a represented employee’s normal hourly rate plus $6.50 per hour, to their normal hourly rate plus $8.50 per hour.

“We believe the contract offer . . . provides competitive, market-based pay and benefits for our engineering employees,” Spirit said in a statement on Wednesday. “The offer recognizes the important contributions of Spirit’s engineering team, while positioning the company to execute current work and win new business.”

The engineering unit’s contract negotiation team and bargaining unit council are recommending members approve the contract, despite what seems to be a move by Spirit to put more of its benefits costs on employees, Plunkett said .

“It’s unfortunate that Spirit is going down the same path as the rest of corporate America . . . shifting costs to employees,” he said. “But our team believes there’s enough money in this offer to soften that shift and still keep Spirit competitive going forward.”

The unit represents 971 Spirit engineering employees, 73 percent of whom are dues-paying members and will vote on the new contract.

SPEEA said Spirit employees represented by the engineering unit make an average of $102,00 a year, are an average age of 45 and have an average of 13 years working for Spirit.

The offer comes more than two months before the bargaining unit’s current contract expires Dec. 1.

Voting on the new contract will be done by mail-in ballot. The deadline for members to submit their ballots is 5 p.m. on Oct. 16, B.J. Moore, SPEEA Midwest director, said.

This story was originally published September 26, 2018 at 2:11 PM.