The recent picketing of Boeing Corporate offices by Boeing retirees in downtown Seattle is an attempt to pre-empt a possible action of Boeing senior management to renege on a previous contractual obligation to provide early retirement healthcare benefits to former and current active SPEEA employees.

As an important part of the employees total compensation package, concessions on salary raises and other fringes were traded for this future deferred benefit.

Just because some provisions of current contract is renegotiated and renewed periodically every few years does not entitle Boeing to unilaterally revise the wording of the contract provisions pertaining to this deferred benefits in order to relieve themselves of their prior contractual obligations and promises.

In this period where local students are being encouraged to study hard on STEM subjects to become future Boeing engineers and scientists, it behooves Boeing to demonstrate goodwill to the community by being ethical, legal and moral members of this community.

Quin Mendoza, Bellevue.