400 Aerospace Jobs In Palmdale Could Be Lost If the U-2 fleet is retired.
Palmdale, CA.- 400 Aerospace Jobs In Palmdale Could Be Lost If the U-2 fleet is retired
Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), recently sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall expressing the IAM’s opposition to the planned retirement of the U-2 fleet by Fiscal Year 2026.
“Our members in Palmdale have sacrificed to keep our nation safe,” said IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen. “The futures of our members, their families, and the Palmdale community are at risk if the U-2 fleet is retired. We urge Secretary of Defense Austin and Secretary of the Air Force Kendall to reconsider this decision.
The IAM proudly represents approximately 1,500 highly-skilled workers at Lockheed Martin in Palmdale, CA. If the planned schedule to retire the U-2 is adhered to, nearly 400 of these workers who provide Program Depot Maintenance, Support and Sustainment, and Modernization
services to the U-2 program will be laid off in the coming months. This mass layoff will have severe negative impacts on these workers, their families, and the Palmdale community and region. Additionally, it is our understanding that there are no current programs at the facility with the available capacity to transition these nearly 400 workers into. This means that the skills, knowledge and abilities of this workforce will be lost; an inefficient tragedy in a world where skilled workforces and the value they represent would be forever lost.
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, airlines, transportation, shipbuilding, woodworking, health care, and other industries.
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