March 15, 2008                                                                                                                                   

McCain criticized on tanker pact

Boeing union official says GOP presidential hopeful is part of reason company lostdeal to Airbus parent company.

by  Vicky Thomas, DelCo Times

John DeFrancisco, president of Boeing’s UAW Local 1069, is not happy with the move by the Air Force to pull a $35 billion contract to build U.S. Air Force refueling tankers from the company.

And he believes Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is part of the reason Chicago-based Boeing Co. lost the lucrative deal to the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co., parent company of French aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

“It was his initiation of this contract to be sent to foreign contractors. We thought Boeing was in the lead to get that work,” said DeFrancisco. “It would have been a boom to the economy and to U.S. workers. It should be done here.”

The Arizona senator has been instrumental in the Pentagon’s long attempt to complete a deal on the tanker. McCain helped block an earlier, scandal-marred tanker contract with Boeing in 2004, resulting in jail time for a former Air Force official and a top Boeing executive.
In 2006, McCain prodded the Pentagon to develop bidding procedures that did not exclude Airbus, arguing that it should be an open and competitive process, according to Associated Press reports.

DeFrancisco estimated that 44,000 new and existing jobs would relate to producing the tankers, which refuel aircraft while in flight. “Outsourcing is a dirty word around here for Boeing,” said DeFrancisco. “Our country could use those jobs here. This decision by McCain to open up the process in a limited field of manufacturing in the tanker industry was shortsighted. We’re not concerned about competition, it’s good to bring in competition, it just seemed to us that he didn’t look at the long-term effects.”

DeFrancisco is going after state Rep. Ron Raymond’s seat in the 162nd District, which he will leave at the end of his term this year. The Democrat will face off against one of two Republicans seeking the nod, Ridley Park Councilman Nick Miccarelli and longtime Ridley School District administrator John Cleghorn.

Raymond, a Republican of Ridley Township, said he issued a resolution urging his colleagues to support Boeing and American companies for work on the U.S. military.

“Frankly, I don’t care what McCain’s role was in all this. I’m only concerned that Boeing didn’t get the contract,” said Raymond. “It’s a disgrace they would give a contract to an overseas entity when we have a company like Boeing that could (do) the same or a better job. It’s a disgrace sending American jobs and dollars overseas. I wonder where (U.S.) Sen. (Arlen) Specter, (U.S.) Sen. (Bob) Casey and (state) Sen. (Joe) Sestak were for all this?”

Boeing on Tuesday filed a formal protest of the tanker award with the Government Accountability Office, citing “irregularities” in the contract competition.

“It’s time for someone to let people in Washington know what’s going on and how we feel about certain things,” said DeFrancisco.

Dr. G. Terry Madonna, political analyst and professor of public affairs at Franklin & Marshall College, said the attention on McCain’s involvement with the deal likely won’t have a major effect on his supporters in Delaware County.

“What this tends to do is create an argument for people who don’t want to vote for him. Maybe it won’t matter because those are people who wouldn’t vote for him anyway, because they’re more likely to vote Democratic, but it may at some point be something he may have to answer to in Pennsylvania,” said Madonna. “That’s probably something if they talk loud enough, it won’t cause you to win or lose the county, but it puts you on the defensive and makes you defend what you did, specifically when you come into the region and campaign.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.