'Little progress' in Boeing, SPEEA talks; Inslee weighs in

There was “little progress” Thursday in negotiations between the Boeing Co. and the union representing 22,950 of its engineers and technical workers.

That's according to a statement by the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace.

Boeing said only that the two met with the assistance of federal mediators.

Contract talks resumed Wednesday after a month-long break. The company and union have been trying to work out a deal since April.

Boeing and SPEEA will meet again Friday with the help of federal mediators.

The incoming governor of Washington had a few words to say Thursday about SPEEA and Boeing. Gov.-elect Jay Inslee spoke recently with Boeing, he told Herald reporter Jerry Cornfield .

“I think there was some modestly good smoke signals out of discussions that happened (Wednesday),” Inslee said.

Inslee plans to talk to SPEEA soon. He emphasized the significance of the aerospace industry to Washington state.

“You cannot overstate the importance of Boeing and the Boeing supply chain in the economy of the state of Washington. …So everyone in the state of Washington has a deep and profound interest, whether you're a teacher or a bus driver or a retiree, you have a stake in these discussions,” Inslee said.