There is talk inside the Defense Department, and among those in Congress who control military spending that production of jet engines may be cut back – and if so- jet engine building in Lynn at General Electric will most likely be effected.
We have heard this talk before but it has never sounded so ominous as it did recently.
The Lynn General Electric plant is a dinosaur, of sorts.
If producing jet engines is what it takes to survive, if jet engines are the GE plants reason to exist, then the city and GE is going to face problems in the years to come.
This type of talk during so difficult an economic time does little to stir good feelings with the summer approaching.
What GE needs to do is plan immediately for the day jet engine production in Lynn is at an end.
GE has to find a way for its sprawling West Lynn property to remain relevant.
The highly trained and skilled jet engine building employee base needs to retool itself.
The city cannot afford to deal with the layoffs of hundreds of GE employees.
However, there is little to nothing that the city can do to stave off the inevitable and the inevitable has been heading this city’s way for quite some time.
With Ted Kennedy gone and a new era upon us, it will be near to impossible to steer money into the GE Lynn plant if we leave that to our congressional delegation.
Those days are over.
We stare into the heart of darkness – into the largely gray and overcast brave new world.
Defense Department cuts are inevitable because of the huge budget deficits.
The city and GE need to talk about what comes next if and when the plug is pulled on jet engine production at the plant.
What then?