WASHINGTON, March 15, 2022 – IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. sent a letter to President Biden urging a robust F-35 Lightning II program investment in the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2023 Defense Department budget request.The F-35 program currently provides for tens of thousands of high-quality Machinists Union jobs, supports more than 250,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide, and is the only 5th generation stealth fighter currently in production.
“Thousands of Machinists Union members and their families across the country rely on these irreplaceable jobs supported by the program—from the F-35 primary production facility in Fort Worth, Texas to its engine manufacturing facility in Middletown, Connecticut and across the program’s vast network of suppliers from West Palm Beach, Florida to northern California,” said Martinez. “All told, the F-35 program supports more than 254,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide. The program’s network of suppliers includes more than 1,800 first-tier suppliers across the country supporting high-skilled jobs and more than $49 billion in annual economic impact spread across all 50 states. Your administration’s strong budgetary support of the F-35 Lightning II program is necessary to support these workers, the companies that employ them, and the domestic aerospace supply chain they robustly reinforce.”
Many Machinists Union members working on the F-35 program are U.S. military veterans. Supporting the F-35 program means good jobs for veterans and their families. Machinists Union members are the most talented and experienced aerospace and defense workers in the world.
The full letter can be found here.
Website: F-35: Made with Pride by Machinists Union Members
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of the largest and most diverse industrial trade unions in North America, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries.
The post Largest Aerospace and Defense Union Urges Administration to Fully Invest in IAM-Built F-35 Program appeared first on IAMAW.