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Brian Bryant is the international president of the Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. He is a former shipbuilder at Bath Iron Works.
China is now building warships at a rate that could rival the United States during wartime.
As international president of the 600,000-member International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Local S6 member and former pipefitter at Bath Iron Works, I write with a sense of urgency and deep concern for the future of our shipbuilding capabilities, as recent reports have pointed out that Chinese shipyards are thriving and primed to build at wartime rates, while U.S. shipbuilding is struggling to keep up.
The Alliance for American Manufacturing just released a video, citing a leaked Navy briefing slide, showing China’s shipbuilding capacity is 232 times greater than the United States. The IAM and four national labor unions filed a petition urging President Joe Biden to launch an investigation into China’s predatory trade practices and get America’s shipbuilding industry back on track.
The IAM applauds the Biden-Harris administration’s recent historic actions, including launching a U.S. trade representative investigation into China’s unfair trade practices in shipbuilding to protect U.S. shipbuilding and steel manufacturing workers.
The Biden administration’s actions include: The U.S. trade representative initiating an investigation into China’s unfair trade practices in the shipbuilding, maritime and logistics sectors; and calling on the representative to triple the existing 301 tariff rate on Chinese steel and aluminum tariffs to 7.5 percent.
These robust actions by the Biden administration, aimed at curtailing Chinese unfair trade practices in these vital industries, are a strong step toward giving American workers a level playing field.
Maine shipbuilders have a long history of innovation and excellence, consistently delivering vessels that meet the rigorous standards of the United States Navy.
Bath Iron Works is a prime example, and its success is a testament to the dedication and expertise of shipbuilders there. When Bath Iron Works succeeds, it reverberates across the entire defense industry, benefiting countless workers and communities in Maine. A study found that the shipyard supported more than $8.4 billion in total economic activity in Maine between 2017 and 2021.
The success of Bath Iron Works is a testament to the dedication and expertise of shipbuilders, from welders and electricians to designers and engineers. Our collective efforts have made the shipyard one of the most formidable entities in surface shipbuilding.
We continue to work with the Maine congressional delegation and applaud them for supporting our members at Bath Iron Works and the shipbuilding industry.
However, complacency is not an option, especially in the face of China’s burgeoning shipbuilding prowess.
Maintaining a solid domestic industrial base is more important than ever in an era of increasing geopolitical tensions. The ability to design, build and keep our fleet of warships ensures that we are not dependent on foreign powers.
The recent rise of China as a naval superpower underscores the urgency of this issue. Chinese shipbuilders have made significant strides in recent years, rapidly expanding their capabilities and challenging American dominance in the maritime domain. To maintain our strategic advantage in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, we must redouble our efforts to invest in and support our shipbuilding industry.
Fortunately, the United States has a wealth of expertise and resources to draw upon. American shipbuilders, like IAM members at Bath Iron Works, have a proven track record of delivering world-class vessels. By harnessing this talent and investing in cutting-edge technologies, we can ensure that our Navy remains the most formidable force on the seas.
We need a multi-pronged approach to maintain America’s naval dominance that strengthens our shipbuilding industry. This includes increased funding for apprentice programs, partnering with experienced workers (union journeymen) and investing in cutting-edge shipbuilding technology.
The decline of American shipyards is about more than just jobs; it weakens our national defense. As a recent Wall Street Journal article pointed out, we must prioritize investments in shipbuilding. This will improve our military preparedness and reduce our dependence on foreign suppliers. A revitalized shipbuilding industry means a more robust economy with high-quality jobs and long-term growth.
Increased funding of defense shipbuilding programs strengthens our industrial base and has strong, positive spillover effects on the commercial shipbuilding industry and manufacturing in general.
This is why the IAM strongly supported the successful effort led by U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-New Jersey, to increase the domestic content requirement for major defense programs from 55 percent to 75 percent by 2029. This increase in the “Buy American” domestic content percentage will send a clear market signal to producers, allowing them to increase their domestic defense manufacturing footprint with strong spillover effects on commercial shipbuilding.
We applaud Congress and the Biden administration for their substantial investments in the shipbuilding industrial base in recent years. These investments will help increase capacity at public and private shipyards and bolster the domestic supply of shipbuilding parts and components.
We must commit to a level of investment in domestic shipbuilding that is on par with the Chinese.
We can’t afford to cede control of our seas to China. Let your elected representatives know you support policies revitalizing our domestic shipbuilding industry. Our economic and military security depends on it.
Now is the time to act decisively to bolster American shipbuilding and secure a brighter future for generations to come.