Joint Letter Urges Policies To Preserve Aerospace Jobs

The International Association of Machinists and the Aerospace Industries Association sent a letter to President Obama September 1, urging him to preserve the aerospace and defense industry and its high-skilled workforce.

"As you finalize proposals to save and create American jobs, we urge you to consider the vital role that our second-to-none aerospace and defense industry has played in America's global leadership, and to keep in mind the many thousands of aerospace and defense workers that face the loss of their jobs in these difficult economic times," the letter urged.

The letter argued that the enormous contribution of aerospace to our national bottom line—$214.5 billion in sales and a $51.2 billion trade surplus in 2010—cannot be taken for granted.  "Doomsday" cuts to defense, the end of the shuttle program and delays to the FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation System all threaten America's global leadership.

The letter was timed to arrive over the holiday weekend when Americans traditionally gather to celebrate the contributions of American labor to the economic prosperity and national security of our nation.

FMI: Full Letter ; www.aia-aerospace.org