WASHINGTON, D.C. – The second round of applications for the Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Program (AMJP) under the American Rescue Plan Act has reopened to provide temporary relief for aerospace supply chain employees furloughed, or at risk of being furloughed, due to the pandemic.
The AMJP aims to provide funding to eligible businesses, paying up to half of their compensation costs for certain categories of employees for up to six months. In return, the business is required to make several commitments, including that the company will not involuntarily furlough or lay off employees with that group during the same six-month period.
Championing this protection program is Representative Rick Larsen of the Congressional Second District and Chair of the House Aviation Subcommittee.
“We had companies lay off people during the pandemic, [so] we passed bipartisan Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Program as part of the American Rescue Plan,” Larsen told the Lynnwood Times.
Rep. Larsen worked with Representative Ron Estes (KS-04) and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to introduce the AMJP back in March but has since reopened the application until September 1. Larsen hopes the program will restore American jobs, boost labor protections, and prevent the use of relief funding for stock buybacks or to pay dividends.
The pandemic has caused an estimated 100,000 job losses of aerospace manufacturing workers nationwide, without assistance, and 220,000 additional jobs are at risk of furlough. Locally, Safran Cabins in Bellingham announced more than 450 layoffs, and Hexcel Corporation in Burlington announced nearly 130 layoffs during the pandemic. Cadence Aerospace-Giddens announced the closure of its Everett factory, resulting in 72 job losses, totaling 200 losses in less than a year.
“In the Pacific Northwest, the highly skilled aviation manufacturing and maintenance workforce drives the economy and helps the U.S. remain competitive abroad,” Larsen said in a news release. “The American Rescue Plan provides critical relief to help sustain the aerospace supply chain until the nation gets to the other side of the pandemic. I am committed to protecting these jobs and supporting the dedicated women and men who keep the supply chain moving during such challenging times.”
Larsen also helped secure an extension of the successful Payroll Support Program, which protects airline jobs. The package provides $8 billion to help U.S. airports and airport concessionaires operate safely, including more than $187 million in Northwest Washington.
Last month, Larsen chaired a House Aviation Subcommittee hearing on the pandemic’s effects on U.S. aviation and the path to economic recovery. On August 3, the AMJP application process was decided to reopen.
President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law earlier this year. The plan includes bipartisan language Larsen aimed to steer toward saving aviation and aerospace jobs in Washington state and across the country. The provision helps cover pay and benefits for aerospace supply chain employees at risk of being furloughed or who were furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To apply to the AMJP visit https://www.transportation.gov/AMJP/apply.
