The U.S. Air Force awarded the $35 billion contract to Los Angeles based Northrop Grumman and EADS, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company, parent of Boeing rival, Airbus.
Gen. Arthur Lichte, Commander of the Air Force's Air Mobility Command, said, "The winning proposal gives the military more passengers, more cargo, more fuel to off-load, more availability, more flexibility, more dependability, and it can carry more patients."
That statement doesn't sit well with Gordon King, the Directing Business Representative for IAM District Lodge 837. King said, "Every U-S citizen should be outraged. They are using our tax dollars to boost the European economy when ours is in a critical tail spin now."
King believes Boeing made a comparable proposal. In fact, two re-fueling tankers have been sold to Italy and Japan. King says his main objection centers on American jobs.
He said, "Today tankers, tomorrow our fighters. To have a foreign country build it is absurd. That is why we want to fight the tanker deal so hard."
The Machinists Union is opposed to the awarding of the USAF Tanker deal to a foreign company as it is not the best decision for the U.S. economy, will not create the 44,000 jobs in the U.S. that Boeing would have created, and poses a potential threat to our nation and its military, while further eroding the U.S. manufacturing base by allowing foreign governments to continue subsidizing aerospace work.
Issue One: The U.S. economy will not realize the gain of 44,000 high paying jobs by allowing foreign companies to build the next generation tanker. Our economy cannot afford to lose that type of boost.
"Boeing estimates that 44,000 jobs would be created across the United States if they were the supplier of the next generation tanker. With our current economy in the tailspin it is in, we need these jobs to keep America economically strong.
"EADS has promised around 1,500 jobs in Alabama. This was done to appease some Congressmen but will not have a large impact across the U.S. (Yesterday, Northrop revised that figure to 48,000 jobs across the U. S. making us wonder where the extra jobs came from.)
"It is American tax dollars being used to procure this tanker but we will be sending our tax dollars overseas, pumping up European economies, while Americans continue to lose out. We owe the American people the respect to use their money to assist in the American Economic recovery first.
Issue Two: The security of the United States and our men and women in uniform are compromised by allowing foreign companies to build the products used to defend our freedoms. Its tankers today, will it be fighters tomorrow?
In the event of war or conflict where any of the countries involved in the EADS deal are involved, we are not guaranteed continued production of promised but un-delivered aircraft or spare parts that would be crucial in keeping the tankers functional.
Our military depends on inter-service dependability. Boeing consistently upgrades or modifies their products to achieve this goal whenever possible. Foreign companies may not be cleared to have access to the latest technologies and delays in obtaining that approval may delay our military from having the best of the best to save American lives.
During a not to distant conflict in the Middle East, our supply of military parts from a nation involved in that conflict delayed delivery of contracted parts. Any nation involved in a war will take care of its own needs first. We need our military production to take place in the United States for this purpose.
Issue Three: Foreign governments subsidize EADS, allowing for an unfair competitive advantage over U. S. aerospace companies and U. S. congressmen are investigating what they call "shady practices" inside the European aerospace community. Americans cannot compete without a level playing field.
The World Trade Organization currently has a complaint over the unfair state-funded subsidies European nations give their aerospace companies. The U. S. companies cannot compete with this type unfair practice.
Senator Pat Murray is collecting information on Airbus' "checkered past" and "shady dealings" when it comes to securing contracts from the U.S.
American Aerospace workers are the most productive and efficient workforce in the world, but if they are not allowed to compete on a level playing field, they do not stand a chance of securing new work.
