Working people across the United States have stepped up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our regular Service + Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.
Thousands of union jobs have been saved or protected, thanks to a federal aerospace job protection program championed by the Machinists (IAM). The Transportation Department recently released the first round of funding to more than 300 companies as part of a new federal program aimed at saving aerospace manufacturing and repairing jobs amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The IAM aggressively advocated for and won successful passage of the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection (AMJP) program, which is part of the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan. The program provides $3 billion in payroll support funding to aviation manufacturing employers, allowing them to keep aerospace manufacturing workers on their payrolls, avoid additional furloughs and re-hire workers previously furloughed during the pandemic.
“This program will help ensure our nation’s aerospace industry will keep moving forward with the critically important workforce it needs,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “I want to thank the hard-working staff in the IAM Political and Legislative Department who won bipartisan support to ensure these highly-trained and skilled jobs remain intact as our nation’s aviation industry goes through one of the hardest moments in history.”