NTMA Government Affairs Activity Mid-Year Report
January-July 2007

Mid-Year Highlights

• In June, NTMA Government Affairs Team (GAT) member, Ken Seilkop of A-G Tool & Die of Miamitown, OH, testified before the House Small Business Committee about the impact of U.S. current trade policy vis-à-vis China. The hearing was televised on C-SPAN, adding to NTMA's visibility in this event.
• In June, NTMA scored a major legislative victory by helping to block the passage of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act in the Senate.
• NTMA developed the concept and design for a new workforce development and training program titled, Precision JOBS for American Manufacturing (PJAM), that will be officially launched in 2008.
• NTMA members met with over 80 congressional offices during the Legislative Conference in June.  Over eighty NTMA members were in attendance at the event - nearly double the attendance from last year's conference.
• NTMA members sent lawmakers 2227 messages advocating on the association's priority issues through the Legislative Action Center (Capwiz).

Precision JOBS for American Manufacturing (PJAM) Update

In October 2006, the GAT identified the critical need for workforce development and training to support the tooling and machining industry as its top priority issue for 2007.  It subsequently directed the NTMA Washington staff to develop a plan of action to advance this program.  Titled "Precision JOBS for American Manufacturing" (PJAM), the new program will be national in scope and focused specifically on our industry, in partnership with the federal government.  

From January until April, the NTMA Washington office worked with the PJAM Team to lay the foundation for the program and solicited chapter interest in becoming pilot sites.  The intent of the program is to create a national "best practices" network starting with six pilot sites from across the nation.  The program will focus on recruiting, training and retaining qualified workers in order to build a generation of highly qualified industrial employees for the precision metalworking industry. Progress has been made in laying the foundation, goals and objectives for the program. 

In June, NTMA hired Barry Maciak, from World Class Industrial Networks, as PJAM coordinator. Since NTMA did not meet the timeframe for seeking federal funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, the GAT and PJAM team agreed to allow sufficient time in the remainder of 2007 for the new program director to fully develop the PJAM program details and to defer advocacy for federal funding for a full fledged program to calendar year 2008/FY 2009. 

During the June Legislative Conference, Rep. Duncan Hunter offered an opportunity for NTMA to submit legislative language that he might insert in the Defense Department (DOD) conference report.  The language would support the PJAM program by facilitating veteran access to opportunities for skilled training and employment in our industry. Since June, the NTMA Washington office has researched other DOD training/workforce development models, drafted language for the initial phase of a program, prepared briefing materials and submitted the language to Hunter's staff. If successful, this effort could ultimately result in $1 million for the NTMA Education Foundation. 

Government Affairs Team

The GAT met twice during the first half of the year - during the February Annual Convention in San Diego, CA and in Baltimore, MD in April.  During the meeting in Baltimore, the GAT identified the following issues for the focal point of the GA program for the 110th Congress -  1) Workforce Development and Training; 2)  Employee Free Choice Act; 3) Family Medical Leave Act; and, 4) Currency Manipulation.  Outlined below is a summary of these priority issues. (Workforce is highlighted under PJAM.)

Priority Issues:

• Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) - NTMA urged Senators to oppose legislation (H.R. 800/S. 1041) that would undo 70 years of labor law by taking away employees' ability to vote to recognize a union by secret ballot.  The legislation also mandated contract terms on private, unionized employers through a process of compulsory, binding arbitration on first contracts.  The week after the conference the U.S. Senate blocked a procedural motion that prevented H.R. 800/S. 1041from becoming law.
• Expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - NTMA opposes the Healthy Families Act (S. 910/H.R. 1542) which mandates that businesses with fifteen or more employees offer workers seven days of paid sick leave for their own or their families' medical needs.  During the 2007 Legislative Conference, NTMA members lobbied against the passage of this specific bill as well as all other efforts to expand the FMLA.
• Currency Manipulation - NTMA urged members of Congress to support and pass the Fair Currency Act (H.R. 782/ S.796) - legislation that will strengthen existing U.S. trade laws, so U.S. manufacturers are able to compete on a level playing field with non-market economies. 

NTMA Legislative Action Center (Capwiz)

• 2227 messages sent to Capitol Hill
• 8 Capwiz alerts on 5 NTMA issues  
• 333 NTMA members sent messages to the Export-Import Bank in opposition to the tax payer financing of a $30 million loan in U.S. machine tooling equipment to a Chinese company.
• In one day, NTMA members sent over 300 messages to their Representatives and Senators urging action on currency manipulation legislation in the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee.
• NTMA members sent an impressive 350 messages to their Senators opposing the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.

2007 Legislative Conference

• Over eighty people attended this year's conference - nearly doubling the attendance numbers from the 2006 event.
• The NTMA Washington office scheduled 81 Congressional appointments.  Twenty members of Congress participated in these meetings.
• Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA-52), ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, chief sponsor of the NTMA-supported Fair Currency Act and presidential candidate, addressed conference attendees during the luncheon event.
• Congressman Joe Donnelly (D-IN-02) shared his insights as a freshman member of Congress during the "View from Capitol Hill" breakfast session.
• The half-day Workforce Shortage Forum featured four speakers including Emily DeRocco, Assistant Secretary of Labor and other workforce development specialists within the Administration and industry.
• Conference attendees heard from policy experts during the afternoon business sessions on NTMA's priority issues - currency manipulation, expansion of the Family Medical Leave Act, and the Employee Free Choice Act.  The policy experts, as well as the Washington office staff, prepared the attendees on how to deliver NMTA's position on the key issues during their congressional meetings.