I am, and now I am, a "retired" aircraft technician that is certificated by the FAA to hold a Powerplanet and Airframe Rating with a Radar / Radio endorsement.
Right now as I write this rant, for an individual to acquire this license, to keep people safe on the airplanes they ride on, cost me over $5,000 in 1984 dollars.
Today to get this certificate depending on the training school, to acquire the 1,920 hours needed to meet the FAA requirement is now costing an individual over $50,000 up to $80,000 dollars in today's dollars. Then, if this is coupled with a degree, it will cost the individual over $125,000 dollars, again depending on the prior military DD214, or the individual not having the training backed by the American taxpayer.
Presently with the current, and I mean, current trade agreements in place, the aircraft technician is losing ground on wages and benefits, because of the outsourcing of heavy maintenance to such countries as Brazil, Singapore, numerous American Flag carriers go across into Mexico and other countries to have these C & D checks done, this a fact.
It was caused by "trade agreements" pushed by the airlines and there associated trade groups. lobbying in Congress, during these "trade deals".
If anyone wants to fully understand how this is being done, look no further than at the FAR 43.13 regulation on the requirements to maintain that aircraft, its right there in black and white. And it was written by, approved by the Airline, General Aviation and manufacturing industry and the lastly the Congress
Boeing for example is going and is doing right along with Airbus, setting up shops in China and other places, where-by the R& D work is being outsource to these countries, while the engineering departments and R&D department are being down sized, they (Boeing and Airbus for example) are selling off the proprietary rights just to get a sale on the aircraft, while at the same time the government that is looking at those sales are demanding that they build that aircraft, which is basically attacking the foundation of manufacturing in this country and other countries.
In a former "trade agreement" NAFTA, is said that the Mexican trucking industry had to stop there trucks, at the border, and that an American Trucking Company would pick that trailer and deliver it around the country, not any more, they (Mexican Trucking) can deliver it across this country , and now the industry within the United States has to compete with the wages, benefits of Mexico. has anyone seen a Consolidated Freight Company lately, they filed for bankruptcy for many reasons.
This one industry (aviation) is the canary in the cave, one has to look no further than what is happening with with the deals that Boeing made with AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) and how MIC ( Manufacturing Innovation Center) replicates the aircraft building technology and how China is using this to develop the C919 and the ARJ21.
Boeing has every right in the world to sell an aircraft, but when a trade agreement is made to justify the continued outsource of a product and then ship it back into this country and say its fair, it is not fair.
Hamilton said that "tariffs" are what trade is all about and they should be fair and to protect this country.
Because back in those days when we traded those other country put in place a "tariff" to protect the farmer, silversmith, whatever, from a country dumping there product.
Presently we are not protecting our manufactured goods from "tariffs" from other countries and this is why we have "trade imbalance" and a "trade deficit" , this means we are "importing" more than we "export". If you do not have a manufacturing base engineering base, etc.. and you are being undercut by wages, such as the outsourcing of aircraft maintenance, those high paying, highly skilled jobs become less and less in every industry.
Yes, we are in a "globalization" on trade, there always has been a "globalization" on trade since the first human contacted another human, but it should be fair, and it should be fair to protect the worker that is making that product with a "tariff" and not the mealy ones that currently in place
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