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Friends of the Fourth
District:
Earlier this month, The Boeing Company announced that is was taking
the first steps towards ending production of the C-17 military cargo
jet, which is built in Long Beach. Not only would a shutdown impact
thousands of local jobs, but it would also mean the end of the last
aircraft production line in Southern California.
Boeing, which is one of our County’s single largest employers, says
with the Pentagon committed to ordering no more than the 180 planes
now built or under construction, there is no financial rationale for
keeping the C-17 open beyond 2009.
While I am disappointed by Boeing’s recent announcement, I also know
we are far from the end of the fight to save the C-17. Boeing is
required to give the dozens of suppliers who provide parts for the
C-17 at least 34-36 months advance notification if it intends to end
contracts and shutdown production. I consider this announcement
simply one initial step in what might potentially lead to a
shutdown. 36 months is a long time and many things could happen in
that time to reverse the fate of the program.
The C-17 has already proven that it is essential not only to the
military, but also to homeland security and disaster response. It is
a critical tool in supporting our troops serving overseas in
Afghanistan and Iraq. The C-17 also continues to show its necessity
at home, becoming a first responder after natural disasters like
Hurricane Katrina because of its ability to land on very short,
unpaved runways. Obviously the nation does not have the supply of
C-17’s that it truly needs, otherwise, the C-17 would not be
operating at 186-percent capacity, as it is right now.
At stake are over 6,000 jobs at Boeing plant in Long Beach, with an
average salary of over $65,000. These jobs pump over $850 million
into our local economy every year. The potential loss of the C-17
would have a regional impact, as well. Dozens of area contractors
provide components for the C-17, including Brek Manufacturing of
Gardena, Alcoa Fastening Systems in Torrance and Carson-based
Ducommun AeroStructures – all companies that depend on the C-17 for
at least a portion of their financial livelihood. Nationwide, the
impact of the C-17 is even greater. Over 700 contractors employ
25,000 workers in 42 states that work on the C-17. Nationally, these
jobs create more than $8.4 billion in economic impact every year.
Besides the huge potential hit our regional economy would take from
the loss of 6,500 jobs at the Boeing plant in Long Beach, shutting
down the C-17 could prove a costly error for National Security.
Mistakes have been made in the past from shutting down aircraft
production lines and we must make sure we do not make the same
mistake again. Shuttering the C-17 plant means the United States
would lose its last defense cargo aircraft production facility.
I have been working in every way I can to advocate for the future of
the C-17.
I am part of what’s known as the “Red Team,” a group of local, state
and federal elected leaders that are fighting for the C-17. We are
advocating for the program before key decision-makers and are also
working with Boeing to find new ways to reduce existing costs. I
will continue doing what I can, but it is now up to Congress and the
Department of Defense to provide funding for what the nation already
knows: we need this plane. It is critical for the future of this
program to continue with a commitment of additional anticipated
funding. It is my hope that President Bush will step in to make that
commitment a reality.
DON KNABE
Supervisor, Fourth District
County of Los Angeles
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