DAYTON, OH — Today, IUE-CWA, which is America’s largest union for General Electric workers, responded to the company’s announcement that the energy division of the industrial giant will move its headquarters from Schenectady, NY to Cambridge, MA.
IUE-CWA President Carl Kennebrew released the following statement:
“GE’s relocation of its GE Vernova headquarters to Cambridge, MA and away from its historic Schenectady, NY home is part of a long list of changes connected with the company’s three-way split intended to benefit Wall Street and fails to take into account the workers and communities it affects.
“Over the years GE has offshored and shed tens of thousands of jobs, eliminated entire business divisions, and undergone several bouts of restructuring, including shifting headquarters around in order to appease key shareholders, such as Trian. It’s an unfocused vision that diverts energy and resources that would be better spent on workers, facilities, research and product development and the communities that have long held GE up.
“But no matter where GE sets up its headquarters, we demand a fair labor contract for our GE Vernova and GE Aerospace members. We also demand real investment commitments that will grow our jobs and promote the economic well-being of our communities. We intend to sit down with GE and achieve agreement on both of these goals.
“GE workers stand ready to be at the forefront of the transition to green energy. We are eager to build wind turbines here in our union factories, and we call on GE to bring green energy production to our shops. The work we do is essential to the success of GE businesses, no matter how the company gets rebranded, or where they locate their boardrooms. Executive meetings can take place anywhere, but production must take place where you have capacity and a skilled, trained workforce.
“GE has long benefited from the generous support of American taxpayer dollars and American consumers. Even when GE has turned its back on us, America has always invested in GE. We demand that GE reinvest in America. We stand ready to do our part and expect management to do the same. If that happens, we can be successful together.”
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