IAM Aerospace Conference Launches Jobs Campaign in Canada and the U.S.

Delegates to the IAM’s international aerospace conference last week in Hartford, Connecticut kicked off a campaign to rebuild the aerospace sector in Canada and the U.S. In keeping with the conference theme, Jobs Worth Fighting For, delegates pledged to fight to revitalize the battered industrial base in both countries.

Delegates heard in bitter detail the blows taken by the aerospace sector in both countries. In the U.S., over 100,000 skilled, well-paying jobs have been lost in the last two years, and in the Canada, the lay-offs total over 15,000 at last count. Each lost aerospace job contributes to the loss of 4 more spin-off jobs, and undermines our manufacturing base. The loss of good jobs cuts tax revenues at all levels, affecting our capacity to sustain and build public services like our health and public education systems.

The devastation of the aerospace sector is the result of more than the, hopefully, temporary post 9/11 downturn in the worldwide airline industry. It represents the impact of globalization, and government policies that sacrifice good jobs at the altar of right-wing ideology and inflated corporate profits.

In the new global system, even Mexico is taking a hit, as the low wages in the Mexican Maquiladora trade zones can no longer compete with even cheaper coerced labour in China.

Delegates heard about IAM community campaigns for aerospace jobs in the U.S. states of Kansas and Connecticut.

The IAM is initiating campaigns in both Canada and the U.S. to revitalize aerospace as part of an industrial strategy that recognizes the key role of our manufacturing base in our economies. If we give up our manufacturing base, what legacy do we leave to our children and grandchildren?

With our allies we will be proposing legislation in both Ottawa and Washington that puts a priority on good manufacturing jobs. The legislation will demand that support for corporations must be tied to investment, job creation, research, development and training in Canada and the U.S. Failure to comply with their commitments will result in corporations being penalized and forced to repay government support and subsidies.

The transfer of work abroad would also be discouraged by requirements for increased severance to any laid-off workers, and transitional indemnities to compensate affected communities for mass layoffs and shutdowns. The Canadian employment insurance system must once more provide support to more than a small share of the unemployed. The system must return to its original goal of worker protection, rather than as a federal government slush fund.

International agreements must be re-written to ensure fair trade, to build a system that does not undermine good wages and working conditions, labour rights, safety and environmental standards. If international agreements cannot be repaired, they must be abrogated.

While we are hearing a lot about the “war on terrorism”, the biggest threat to workers and their families in Canada and the U.S. is the terror of job loss and destitution spread by soulless corporations.

Both Canada and the U.S. will be holding national elections in 2004. Jobs Worth Fighting For must be at the top of the electoral agenda.