Even though Chicago is Boeing’s corporate HQ, we all know it’s heart and soul is Seattle. In my latest column, I talk about how all this tanker business is starting to make people around here hate on the Emerald City. (more…)
It’s a rather bizarre place for local activism, but this morning I got a Facebook invitation to join a group “Support Northrop Grumman.”
The online group, (linked here if you have an account) urges its members to participate in an online survey set up by the House’s Web site.
“As you will notice, the numbers are rather skewed at the moment and if we don’t stand up and shout, we may lose something that is extremely valuable to Mobile, Alabama and the entire Gulf Coast,” the group’s page says.
MySpace has Eliot Spitzer’s call girl. Facebook has Northrop Grumman. How’s that for social networking?
I’m not sure how powerful my psychic friend’s predictive powers are, but I called my old buddy Nostridumas the other night to find out how we might benefit from the Northop/EADS contract. Of course that was before Boeing protested. Wait, shouldn’t he have known that was coming?
While it always makes me nervous when politics are involved, I think Boeing will get spanked, as they should, and this contract will help transform this city.
And before any of you ask, no, I was not on acid when I wrote this insanity.
The mainstream consensus among most in Washington is that Boeing was the victim of some shenanigans by the U.S. Air Force. In fact, it is hard to find anyone beyond the Alabama congressional delegation willing to stand up for the Air Force’s decision.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) even used the tanker award as political ammo against probable Republican nominee Sen. John McCain - who forced the Air Force to bid this enormous contract, instead of the convoluted plan which Boeing would lease the aircraft to the air force, resulting in criminal convictions of a Boeing executive and an Air Force procurement officer.
But for all his faults, Sen. Richard Shelby has been the one on the PR crusade, defending the air force and explaining why this is not a loss for the United States. There seems to be a void in the media of EADS/Northrop Grumman defenders and Shelby has stepped up to the plate.
After making several cable news TV appearances, Shelby had an op/ed published in today’s Financial Times:
“As members of Congress, we are concerned about US jobs. But any assertion that this award “outsources” jobs to France is simply false. With a new assembly site in Mobile, Alabama, this contract will bring tens of thousands of jobs into the US. According to the job-forecasting tool from the department of commerce, Northrop Grumman will employ about the same number of US workers on the tanker contract as Boeing would have. The Northrop Grumman tanker team will employ about 25,000 US workers at more than 230 supplier companies in 49 states,” Shelby wrote.
The Financial Times, a European-based financial publication, has been very friendly to EADS. Although that probably won’t many critics over who have questioned the award to a foreign contractor when the United States has been deemed to be heading toward economic turmoil, it’s a start.
Senator Obama, I’m glad you prefaced your remarks against the award to Northrop-Grumman and Europe’s Airbus by saying you haven’t yet looked at the whole thing carefully . I trust you will take an opportunity from your very busy campaign schedule and come back with a statement that is more reflective of this award.
The aerospace industry is not just a United States industry, and it is such an important one to our country - especially when it comes to something most Americans cherish, and that is a strong military. I’ll be frank and say I’m not a military man myself but I’m not dumb either, so we’ll just leave that at that. I’ll also point out that I live in Mobile, Alabama, but I nor any of my family or close friends are involved in the aerospace industry. I am a Realtor so of course I look forward to new residents buying homes in our area.
My understanding is the Air Force considered this contract award over three years before making a decision. So . . .one of my questions is, why can’t we put trust in their ability to make a decision about their own business, on behalf of our country, knowing they did not rush into it, and explained why they picked NG/Airbus?
I am on the front lines to keep jobs in America, to buy American, to support our country, but I am a realist, a pragmatist and also knowledgeable of our history and current efforts to grow America in respect to jobs.The fact is every month we read about another major company moving operations to Asia, expanding their presence in China, moving their technical support desks to India. They point-blank say why: cheaper costs. Americans for the most part seem to understand and deal with that, even though we aren’t happy about it.
France and Germany are two of our strongest European allies and some of the finest workmanship ever has come out of those countries in other industries, and Americans are the first to make purchases of those products.
I also don’t think one company should de facto have a monopoly on any industry no matter how many decades they have been the only one or the best. How would you like it if a bunch of people decided and voted that only men with the last name of Bush could be President of America, and since they have been doing such a great job (wink) we don’t want anyone else awarded the contract?
Sir, you’d be out of a future job.
It’s not like Boeing is going to close it’s doors over this contract. In fact it will hardly make a dent in their international operations. And it’s unfortunate in their bid they did not quote enough fuel tankers, even if decisions were made at the last minute. As you know there are about 500 tankers in all to be built so there will be other contracts and other opportunities for them to bid. Maybe next time they will be more careful in their calculations. Could it also be they might have been a little careless, feeling assured they would be awarded since they always have been in the past? I don’t profess to know I can only speculate.
Mobile is a city that has received a lot of recognition lately, and we’re also fortunate to have been selected by Germany’s Thyssenkrupp to construct a steel plant here. Seems to me other American’s would welcome our good fortune and recognize that it’s a reflection on our entire country, a positive economic sign at a time when we need all we can get. To insinuate to these European corporations we don’t want to work with them if it means losing some American jobs, could be something other companies over there notice and duly note. It could affect future contracts in other industries, in other parts of America, so I don’t understand why we are slapping the hands that feeds us so to speak? I’m sorry for the workers in Washington State and elsewhere who are affected by the loss of the contract, but somehow I don’t think Boeing is going to put them out of work. Someone had to lose the contract, right?I can’t speak for all of Mobile of course but I can say many of us if not most welcome this opportunity, and the pleasure of working with not just the folks in Los Angeles but those in Germany and France as well. All the great minds and backbone of the aerospace industry are not ensconced in one location in the world - they are as in most industries spread across this great world of ours, and this I trust will be one fine example of how fantastic things can happen when people from all walks, everywhere, work together.
Good luck on the nomination!
OK, I’ve been hearing all week that “Today’s the Day” for the Northrop/EADS v. Boeing announcement. So I’m skeptical. But I did hear again this a.m. from a quasi-reliable source that it’s going to happen after the stock market closes today and will be a split of the contract between us and them.
I’ve thought all along this baby will eventually be split. It’s too much money and too big an opportunity for Washington to make everyone happy. (Unless you start thinking about how much money is being spent.)
Even a split would be HUGE for Mobile. It gets us into real aerospace production and puts lots of jobs just five minutes from downtown.
If you drive by Bienville Square and see the Chamber of Commerce leadership doing cannonballs into the fountain at about 5 p.m., you’ll know we got it.
Let’s keep our collective fingers crossed.