The union for engineers and technicians at Boeing has gone outside the aerospace industry to pick a new chief executive.

Ray Goforth is the new executive director of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace. He replaces Charlie Bofferding, who was ousted last year by board members belonging to an opposition group after 16 years leading the union.

Unlike Bofferding, who'd been a Boeing engineer before moving into the union post, Goforth doesn't have an aerospace background. Instead, he's a professional union executive. He's been a King County business representative for Local 17 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, representing engineers who work for King County government.

SPEEA is affiliated with the IFPTE.

Former colleagues at Local 17 describe the 39-year-old Goforth as a "tough negotiator." He'll get a quick test: SPEEA is due to start talks with Boeing on a new contract for Puget Sound engineers this fall.

While much of the actual negotiating will be done by committees of SPEEA members, Goforth will need to pull together a membership fractured by the battle over Bofferding's firing. A deep split between pro- and anti-Bofferding factions within the union led to the recall of the four union board members who voted to fire him.

SPEEA represents 24,050 engineers, technical and professional employees at The Boeing Company, Spirit AeroSystems, BAE Systems and Triumph Composite Systems in Washington, Kansas, Oregon, California, Texas and Utah.