Speaking in Everett in the massive building where Boeing 787's are assembled, President Barack Obama praised the aerospace company for succeeding at keeping jobs in the United States.
The President said companies shouldn’t be getting tax breaks for outsourcing jobs, rather those breaks should go to companies that keep the work in the U.S. He said technological advances have meant more can be done with less in manufacturing, but that doesn't mean all the jobs will go away. "American workers have never been more productive. And companies like Boeing are finding out that even when we can't make things faster or cheaper than China, we can make them better. Our quality can be higher. And that's what America is about. That's how we're going to compete," he said.
The message resonated with Boeing workers. Retired machinists George Braun, Rob Curran and Chris Louie were in the audience. They said they liked President Obama's emphasis on keeping middle class jobs here. All said they'd benefited from having good jobs at Boeing.
"I was able to put my son through college," said Louie.
All are from multi-generation Boeing families. And they say they want to make sure good jobs like they had are around for their grandkids.
During his speech, President Obama thanked the Boeing machinists and engineers in the crowd for giving him such a "smooth ride." Air Force One was built in Everett 25 years ago.
