A national array of manufacturing workers converged outside a meeting of GE executives in Fort Worth on Tuesday.

In front of the Aero-Engines and Engine Leasing, Trading & Finance (ELTF) Americas Conference at the Omni Hotel, the workers demanded the company invest in American workers. They raised alarm bells that they believed GE’s actions could endanger national security and safety in air travel.

“GE must prioritize its workforce and engineering excellence over stock buybacks and short-term financial gains,” Jefferson Cruz, business agent for Local 201 in Massachusetts, said after noting that workers are primarily responsible for high-quality and timely production.

Kevin Christian, president of IUE-CWA Local 701 in Kentucky, used Boeing as a cautionary tale for GE. He said that Boeing is no longer admired by the rest of the industry, noting that it spent too much money enriching shareholders and subsequently allowed its personnel and product to decline.

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Boeing has been mired in scandal and public outrage since a door plug blew off a 737 Max during an Alaska Airlines Flight in 2024. The FAA grounded some of the company’s planes and investigated the manufacturer, as numerous whistleblowers made allegations about misconduct within the company. Boeing has denied all wrongdoing.

 

President Sheldon Wise of IUE-CWA Local 1004 in Kansas demanded that GE “invest in our plants, including limiting problematic technology transfers abroad that threaten American jobs.”

Wise told The Dallas Express that most transfers involved military technology, and GE was allegedly sending them to India. “To me, that is a national security concern,” he added.

Cruz concurred with Wise, saying it was a “death by 1,000 cuts [for American workers].”

Cruz added that some of the work transferred to India includes 414 engines for military vehicles. He pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic response and reminded DX that the supply chains were broken for several years. If something similar were to happen again, he said it could hinder national defense.

Christian, Wise, and Cruz noted that their plant’s workforce has declined markedly in recent years. Cruz said his workplace declined from 6,000 workers to 1,500 as jobs were shipped overseas.

Wise said GE’s outsourcing jobs did not result in more investment in the remaining American workers as the company reoriented itself away from appliances and toward aerospace products.

Toward the end of the demonstration, workers, including some from DFW area plants, chanted, “Who are we? IUE!” and “When we fight, we win!” as Christian, Wise, and Cruz delivered an open letter to the trade conference organizers.

A copy of the letter, given to DX, made similar points and urged GE’s executives to “[Keep] GE from the same fate [as Boeing].”

The letter concluded with demands for increased wages, better working conditions, stronger pensions, affordable and reliable health insurance, and more investment in American plants.

DX contacted GE to comment on the production of this story but did not receive a response.