GE sending some turbine work to Poland; will cut some local jobs
SCHENECTADY (WRGB) One of the biggest employers in the Electric City will outsource some work overseas.
That will cost dozens of jobs at their Schenectady plant.
General Electric says that some work will be sent to a facility in Poland, and that means that will get rid of 45 jobs at their Schenectady plant. The union representing the workers wishes that the work could be done here in the United States, especially during a pandemic.
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GE says these actions will help them compete globally, so they can build their turbines and generators there.
GE says no jobs will be created by moving the work overseas, the work will be absorbed by the workers at the plant.
The union representing the workers at the plant declined to do an interview about this, but tells us they are still in negotiations with GE.
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They were hoping that this move could have kept the jobs here, but that won’t be the case.
They say it is ultimately GE’s decision as to what happens with this work and these jobs.
The Capital Region Chamber of Commerce weighed in on this, they say they wish GE could keep these jobs in the Electric City. But they understand why GE made this decision since they are an international company.
"If GE has to make some of those tough decisions but long term they’re able to be a successful company and still employ thousands here, that’s our long term goal," said Mark Egan.
In a letter to CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr., Congressman Paul D. Tonko, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand asked him to reconsider the move.
The letter states in part, "America's power grid should be built by American workers, and the capability to do this already exists in Schenectady," the lawmakers write. "Many of the workers at this site are second and third generation GE workers who have played an outsized role in building GE into a trusted brand worldwide. The highly talented and hardworking employees in Schenectady and the greater community have long supported GE. Now, they deserve GE's support in turn."
GE tells us that the job cuts won’t take effect until 2021.
