After 148 years of operations, Siemens closed its plant in Burlington, IA, in December 2018, resulting in the loss of jobs for 92 IAM Local 1010 members. The plant’s jobs were outsourced to countries like India, Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic and other foreign countries.
“They knew they could offshore those jobs to the Czech Republic and India and a non-union plant in North Carolina and pay a lot less in wages,” said Robert Morrison, an IAM Local 1010 member and 31-year employee who was laid off. “But they are now paying the price in quality and production. They didn’t gain anything, they screwed up.”
The Siemens plant is one of dozens of IAM-represented facilities that have closed during the Trump administration.
“Trump was here, he had a rally for his presidency,” said Chris Tucker, an IAM Local 1010 member and 23-year employee. “He talked about he was going to be the greatest jobs president ever, and said if he was elected, no company would be awarded federal money if they were going to move outside the United States. Well, after they closed us, they awarded a $500 million contract to Siemens.”
“They don’t care about our community,” added Morrison. “They didn’t care about the people who worked there.”
Watch the IAM’s video about the Siemens plant closing on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
Watch all the IAM’s “Broken Promise” videos.
“President Trump has not only failed to keep his word of protecting the jobs of thousands of workers, he has doubled-down on his lies by letting companies who outsource jobs off the hook,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “His dismantling of union jobs has caused devastation to these families and their communities. On November 3, we need to vote for a change in leadership that will safeguard American jobs and make companies like Siemens liable for outsourcing.”
“The many failed policies of the Trump administration have decimated not only the livelihoods of these 92 IAM members, but thousands of working-class families around the country,” said IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway. “Union workers have always been the backbone to a strong American economy, and on November 3, we must take the first step in creating jobs and revitalizing our workforce by electing Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
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