WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2021 – Robert Martinez Jr., International President of the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), released the following statement regarding President Biden’s executive order on securing America’s critical supply chains:
“The Machinists Union applauds President Biden for taking another concrete step toward bringing our jobs home. We have been sounding the alarm for decades about the ever-expanding supply chains of U.S. parts, components and equipment to overseas manufacturers. Our members have witnessed firsthand the decimation of our industrial base as company after company sends critical work offshore.
“The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to bring critical medical supply chains home. Losing supply chains overseas also imperils our national defense. Last year, for example, a Pentagon official noted that supplies needed for vital defense equipment had been offshored to Mexico.
“Never again should the security of the United States be dependent on supply chains from other countries. In addition to the review of medical and semiconductor supply chains, we also welcome and look forward to the critical review of defense supply chains.”
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in the manufacturing, aerospace, defense, airline, railroad, transportation, shipbuilding, woodworking, health care, and other industries.