Leader of Largest Union at General Electric says Company’s Potential Split Underscores Need for Company to Re-invest in Workers and Underutilized US Facilities

Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday morning, General Electric (GE) announced its intention to break up the company into separate units focused on aviation, health care, and energy.

The following statement is attributable to Carl Kennebrew, President of IUE-CWA, the Industrial Division of Communications Workers of America, representing a force of 150,000 active and retired workers.

“Even after GE divides itself into three companies, it must begin reinvesting in and expanding the skilled, union workforce and the dormant facility capacity that it has in America to remain competitive. GE’s workforce in the United States has dwindled from 277,000 in 1989 to 70,000 by 2019. The results for the company have not been positive. Offshoring and underestimating the workers of America has not been a successful playbook for GE, and it’s time for the company to reverse course. At a time when many of its competitors are increasing U.S. output, GE has a responsibility to Bring It Home when it comes to jobs and production. If GE wants to rebuild itself into a group of ‘industry-leading, global public companies,’ it must start by re-investing in the workers of America and by unleashing the potential of its existing union workforce and manufacturing capacities, regardless of what name it chooses to move forward with. The right path for all three GE business units is clear: seize the opportunity to reinvest in the workers of America by creating good, union jobs, especially after receiving over $2.2 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies and bailouts to bankroll their operations. It is the only path forward.”

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