CWAers Join President Biden to Champion New York-Based Manufacturing Investments

CWA District 1 Vice President Dennis Trainor and several CWA members representing locals throughout New York were invited to Poughkeepsie, NY on October 6th to hear from President Biden on the historic $20 billion investment by IBM in its Poughkeepsie plant.

Following the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act earlier this year, a $280 billion legislative package that will boost the U.S. semiconductor industry, IBM and Micron Technology both announced plans to expand their manufacturing in New York; Micron Technology plans to build a $100 billion semiconductor factory in the Syracuse suburbs that could create 50,000 jobs.

Chip manufacturing in the U.S. has gone way down in recent years, and a global shortage of semiconductors was highlighted by the President as a contributing factor towards inflation. But IBM's $20 billion investment over the next decade is intended to bolster bring research and manufacturing back to the U.S., increasing jobs and making it easier to get semiconductors.

“It was here in Poughkeepsie where the rifles for World War I were made, where the first electric typewriters, calculators, even cough drops were made,” President Biden said. “And it’s here now where the Hudson Valley could become the epicenter of the future of quantum computing, the most advanced and fastest computing ever seen in the world.”

President Biden was joined by Hudson Valley Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney and Pat Ryan, as well as New York Governor Hochul. 

“Thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act, which I was proud to help pass this year, we are creating an economy that works for all Americans today and ensures our competitiveness for generations to come,” Rep. Maloney said.

“Between the CHIPS Act and bipartisan infrastructure bill, we have made it clear that the United States will be the leader in global manufacturing,” Rep. Ryan said. 

“We cheer the passage of the CHIPS Act and we support the creation of all these jobs in the region. Obviously, we would like these jobs to be union jobs,” said Hae-Lin Choi, political director for the Communications Workers of America.