IUE-CWA LEAN Initiatives Secure Jobs with Millions in Investment

Earlier this month, IUE-CWA members at the GE/Haier Appliance Park site in Louisville, Ky., won a major victory with the announcement by the company of a historic investment of $3 billion. This investment will help increase job security and opportunities for workers across several states. The Louisville site is expected to receive $490 million and create hundreds of new jobs.

This is a remarkable turnaround for the Appliance Park location, which at one point had been slated for closure. The facility began to expand after the company agreed to participate in IUE-CWA’s LEAN manufacturing program. Unlike corporate-side LEAN programs, IUE-CWA’s approach protects and grows employment at manufacturing sites by increasing efficiency and reducing waste without sacrificing health, safety, or jobs. IUE-CWA’s LEAN program is supported by CWA’s Strategic Industry Fund. You can hear members discuss the program in this video.

On the win, IUE-CWA GE Conference Board Chair Jerry Carney said, “It was a huge deal for us to be able to win the investments. Haier has made it clear over the years they like their appliances, such as washers and dryers, to be manufactured in the same location. Had we not received the investment, we would have lost the 1000+ jobs that are currently there. Through our LEAN initiatives, we were able to secure this away from several anti-union states.”

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.