Boeing lawsuit grounded by USITC
Friday January 26, 2018
For Immediate Release
Washington, D.C. – The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) has ruled in favour of Bombardier in its dispute with Boeing.
“I’m floored,” said a jubilant IAM Québec Coordinator David Chartrand. “This is the best news we had in a year and I couldn’t be happier for our Québec members,” said IAM Canadian General Vice President Stan Pickthall.
“I really expected the USITC would support Boeing because the batting average of foreign companies that are subject of a complaint before U.S. trade is not very good,” explained Chartrand. The general consensus even among Canadian trade experts was that Boeing’s case would be supported not rejected. “Finally a moment of sanity prevails in this painful saga,” said a satisfied Pickthall. “Boeing’s claim should have never got off the ground.”
The USITC ruled that “100 to150 seat large civil aircraft from Canada do not injure U.S. industry.” Bombardier had to win support from three of the four commissioners to put a stop to the punitive 292.21 per cent tariffs placed on its C-Series aircraft. Boeing launched its trade case last April arguing that the governments in Canada and the United Kingdom subsidized the plane’s development and allowed Bombardier to sell it at rock bottom prices. The lone U.S. customer to date is Delta Airlines, which purchased 75 C-Series 100 last spring. Boeing did not bid on the Delta contract.
“Today Bombardier workers can get back to building the best aircraft in the world, with some peace of mind about their future,” added Pickthall.
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For further information:
Stan Pickthall – IAM Canadian General Vice President
416-386-1789 Ext# 23
David Chartrand – IAM Québec Coordinator
514-956-1578/514-231-9100
Bill Trbovich – IAM Director of Communications for Canada
416-386-1789 Ext #31/416-735-9765
