News from the Metal Trades
The United States Can and Should be the Next Big Shipbuilding Market!
Upgrading, renewing, and expanding the Jones Act fleet is the next huge ship building opportunity in the world today. It has been more than three decades since America held the number one position in worldwide tonnage production. In the intervening 30+ years, Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, Korea, and now China have ascended to the top of the worldwide shipbuilding industry building large fleets of new marine assets for the global economy. Today foreign yards are sold out thru 2027.
Is the Promise of Offshore Wind Real? Or is America Dressed for a Party With Nowhere to Go?
There is no doubt that America must add offshore wind to its energy infrastructure tool kit. The ability of the United States to successfully compete in the global economy requires that we access all reliable sources of energy, including oil, gas, coal, solar, and nuclear, to power our cities, homes, and domestic businesses.
Happy Holidays
Philly Metal Trades Council President Joins SAG-AFT VP in Holiday GreetingsRA VP in Holiday Wishes
SAG-AFTRA VP Sheryl Lee Ralph joined Philly MTC President Lou Agre in wishing union members happy holidays.
51 National Labor Unions Urge Congress to Prioritize Reinstating a Federal Tax Deduction for Workers’ Union Dues and Enact it in 2022
The Metal Trades Department, AFL-CIO, joins with its allied national labor unions to endorse the bipartisan pro-union Tax Fairness for Workers Act (H.R. 2549 / S. 1157). The AFL-CIO and 51 national unions issued the accompanying letter urging Congress to prioritize...
Wake Up America, It’s Time to SEA the Future
After World War II, the United States was the world’s leading shipbuilder. But in 1981, President Reagan eliminated its long-standing subsidy program which left American shipyards to compete with heavily subsidized foreign rivals like China. Today, the U.S. ranks 19th in the world for commercial shipbuilding, accounting for just 0.35 percent of global new construction. And we have become heavily dependent on China and East Asia for products and resources, most of which are imported by sea.
Metal Trades & Offshore Wind: The Hart of the Matter
The Department of Energy Wind Technologies Office recently posted “10 Things You Didn’t Know About Offshore Wind Energy” on its website. While the post is great, it should have been 11 things. The 11th item would note: ‘America needs to develop the manufacturing and production infrastructure necessary to build offshore wind farms. We need to build Jones Act-compliant ships.’
Organizing Wins, Labor Day, and Conference Updates
METAL TRADES IN THE NEWS MTD IN THE NEWS | September 6, 2022 Metal Trades Organizing Victories in the News After years of trying by our local metal trades council affiliates, who time and again were obstructed by the company from organizing metal trades workers...
MTD In The News — August 2022
METAL TRADES IN THE NEWS MTD IN THE NEWS | August 15, 2022 FROM THE DESK OF METAL TRADES DEPARTMENT PRESIDENT JAMES HART The Next Big Shipbuilding Market Upgrading, renewing, and expanding the Jones Act fleet is the next huge shipbuilding opportunity in the world...
The Metal Trades Department Honors our Fallen Military Members this Memorial Day
The true meaning of Memorial Day often gets lost to pool parties, beach trips, and backyard barbeques. But Memorial Day is in fact a day of remembrance. A day to honor the sacrifices made by the men and women who have died in service to the United States military. As...