Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke hasn’t forgotten the state’s aerospace workers in his new role as U.S. Commerce Secretary.
Locke told The Wall Street Journal that he’ll push for fair trade.
Subsidies handed out by foreign governments hurt American workers, Locke said, using Boeing and its aerospace employees as examples.
From the WSJ story:
“If the apple growers of Washington State have to abide by all these environmental and health and human safety standards and the workers of other countries don’t have to, it puts Washington State apples at a disadvantage,” said Mr. Locke, a former governor of Washington State. “Same thing with Boeing airplanes. If other countries are able to significantly subsidize the cost of development and production of an airplane then it puts Boeing at a competitive disadvantage and it hurts the aerospace workers of America.”
Boeing has claimed its commercial jet rival, Airbus, has received illegal aid from European countries. Airbus has pointed to tax breaks given by Washington to Boeing for its 787 as example of similar government handouts.
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