March 5, 2020
Dear Representative,
On behalf of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the largest defense and aerospace union in the United States, I am writing to urge you to sign on to an important bipartisan letter in support of the F-35 Lightning II program (see attached). The letter, led by Representatives John Larson (D-CT), Martha Roby (R-AL), Marc Veasey (D-TX) and Michael Turner (R-OH), asks the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House Armed Services Committee and House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to continue their support for increased procurement rate and continued investment in this critical defense program.
The F-35 is the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, and continued ramp up of this program is essential to our national security and ensuring the United States maintains its air dominance. In addition, the F-35 provides for thousands of high-skilled, Machinists Union jobs and supports more than 220,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide. Due to a sustained commitment to the program and an increased production rate of F-35s in recent years, the cost per aircraft has been reduced substantially while at the same time bolstering our domestic economy and industrial base.
To ensure future air dominance, continue job creation, and sustained cost savings per aircraft; it is critical that we increase F-35 production and provide the necessary program investments in the upcoming defense authorization and appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2021.
For all of these reasons, I urge you to sign on to the attached bipartisan letter. To sign on, please contact Serj Banjac in Representative Larson’s office at srdan.banjac@mail.house.gov, Judd Smith in Representative Roby’s office at judd.smith@mail.house.gov, Luke Dube in Representative Veasey’s office at luke.dube@mail.house.gov, or Michael Calcagni in Representative Turner’s office at michael.calcagni@mail.house.gov.
For more information, please contact IAM Legislative Director Hasan Solomon at (301) 967-4575 or hsolomon@iamaw.org.
Thank you,
Robert Martinez, Jr.
International President