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Machinist President Urges Support, not Smears for Business Jet Industry

Dépèche transmise le 28 septembre 2011 par Business Wire

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tom Buffenbarger, the President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), today called for an end to mischaracterizations of the U.S. business jet industry, a home grown industry that contributes more than $150 billion to the U.S. economy and employees more than 1,265,000 people.

“We urgently need our government to take a leadership role in recognizing the importance of this industry and the jobs it provides to our nation’s economy.”

“The fact that corporate jets are abused by some unscrupulous individuals says everything about today’s lax corporate ethical standards and obscene benefit packages and nothing about the importance of the business jet industry to our present and future economy,” said Buffenbarger in testimony before the U.S. International Trade Commission. “We urgently need our government to take a leadership role in recognizing the importance of this industry and the jobs it provides to our nation’s economy.”

Buffenbarger also called for incentives and financing for commercial aerospace ventures that includes a requirement for recipients to manufacture, assemble and service business jets here in the U.S.

“The business jet industry’s impact on our nation’s economy goes far beyond the U.S. aviation industry,” said Buffenbarger. “It is responsible for the development of leading edge technological innovations that lead to other industries such as those concerning avionics, composites, electronics, microwaves, etc.”

Noting the aggressive and government-supported development of commercial aerospace industries in China and elsewhere, Buffenbarger urged the U.S. Trade Representative to investigate whether such countries are unfairly subsidizing the development of an aerospace industry.

The IAM is among the nation’s largest industrial trade unions, representing nearly 700,000 active and retired members under more than 5,000 contracts in aerospace, manufacturing, transportation, shipbuilding and defense-related industries. For more information, visit www.goiam.org.