Editor’s note: General Electric Lynn Operations General Manager Brian Yoder wrote the following response to Mr. Alvarez’ opinion piece.
Our commitment to Lynn and the state of Massachusetts remains strong.
General Electric is one of the largest manufacturing and engineering companies in Massachusetts. In particular, GE Aviation has invested more than $100 million in the Lynn facility over the last five years, including $30 million in 2021.
We have hired more than 500 workers in Lynn since 2017, and dozens of hourly and salary jobs are currently open for hire.
We also are investing in building a pipeline of future talent, including internal training programs and collaboration with the community to help promote manufacturing jobs, including through a new $4.4 million grant extension of our Advanced Manufacturing Training Expansion Program focused in Lynn and the North Shore.
Lynn is an important site and the products we make there are critical to fulfilling our mission of supporting the military and the broader GE Aviation portfolio. We’re proud to be a supplier of choice for the federal government, particularly for engines that help power the next generation of U.S. military air combat.
COVID-19 dealt a blow to the global aviation industry, but our critical work in Lynn supporting the military allowed us to avoid significant employee reductions similar companies and facilities had to endure.
We continue meeting with our union partners to discuss ways to best leverage Lynn’s core competencies, improve production delays, and incorporate Lean principles ― an imperative for all of GE.
Changes to GE’s global headcount have been driven largely by the sale of companies like NBC, Baker Hughes, GE Transportation, and our BioPharma business, but we continue to invest in our workforce across the country, to the tune of more than $1 billion since 2016, as our businesses continue their critical work shaping the future of flight, precision healthcare and the energy transition.
GE Aviation’s work and employees at Lynn are crucial to our future, and we look forward to helping the area grow. GE Aviation has a bright future ahead, and I share that same sense of optimism for Lynn and our Lynn facility.
