Governor Chris Gregoire and Senator Patty Murray came to Paine Field's Future of Flight last week to support Boeing's efforts to win the Air Force tanker contract.  Local elected officials, union members, and Boeing representatives joined them to discuss the importance of the tanker contract for local jobs.

"With unemployment near 10% jobs has to be our number one priority," said Councilmember Dave Gossett, who attended the meeting.  "This contract is vital to not only the Boeing workers but to the employees of the 70 other Washington state aerospace companies that will benefit."

The contract to replace the 179 aging Air Force tankers is worth $35 billion.  Boeing is competing against EADS, the European company which produces Airbus planes.  Bids are due in July for the contract.

Elizabeth Lund, Boeing's vice president for the 767 program, spoke regarding the economic impacts of winning the tanker contract.  The 767 program supports 11,000 jobs in Washington.  Lund noted that some of those jobs are existing jobs that would be lost without the program and others would be new jobs.  The annual economic impact to the state is estimated to be $700 million.

"A new tanker is vital to America's security and Boeing is prepared to deliver it now," noted Gossett.  "The EADS production facility is currently a vacant field."

Governor Gregoire stressed the fact that if EADS wins the contract the majority of the work will not be performed by American workers.  The 767 tanker will be designed, built, and finished by Americans.

Senator Murray raised the issue of the recent international trade ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) against Airbus.  The WTO found that Airbus had received illegal subsidies for the construction of its planes.

"Boeing is the only company that truly has the technology, skilled workers, and experience needed to start building planes on the Air Force's schedule," said Gossett.  The Air Force has indicated the winning bidder should start work in November.