New Mexico Machinists Work to Save G.E. Jobs
September 9, 2009
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IAM members in New Mexico are working every avenue to save more than 1,300 jobs that could be lost if G.E. Aviation closes an engine facility that has been an economic driver in Albuquerque for nearly four decades.
The IAM and G.E. are currently in a 60-day period of “Decision Bargaining” to explore alternatives to closing the facility. Barring a resolution, G.E. says it plans to close the facility in the fall of 2010.
In addition to community outreach and rallies by union members that garnered statewide TV coverage, IAM representatives have met with local, state and federal representatives to emphasize the importance of preserving high-skill manufacturing jobs in New Mexico. A pair of articles in the Labor Day edition of the state’s largest newspaper, featured the campaign on the paper’s editorial pages.
In ‘Community Needs G.E.’s Good Jobs,’ Local 794 President and Directing Business Representative Ernest “Red” Dow called on the community to join the effort to preserve jobs for the next generation. “These high-quality jobs have been in our community for 40 years and played a crucial role in our standard of living,” wrote Dow. “We have an obligation to give our children the same opportunities to enjoy a good level of compensation and benefits.”
