PRECISION PITTSBURGH

PRECISION PITTSBURGHPRECISION PITTSBURGHPRECISION PITTSBURGH

WINTER 2015 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 1

MANUFACTURING AMERIC A’S FUTURE

DATES TO

REMEMBER: Details available at: www.pghntma.org

APPRENTICE COMPETITION

NCC Training and

Innovation Center

February 27, 2015

BotsIQ PRELIMINARY EVENT

Butler Community College

March 6, 2015

MFG Meeting

Orlando, FL

March 4-7, 2015

BotsIQ PRELIMINARY EVENT

Westmoreland

Community College

March 13 & 14, 2015

One Voice

Legislative Conference

Washington, D.C.

April 21 - 25, 2015

BotsIQ FINALS

California University

April 24 & 25, 2015

APPRENTICE GRADUATION

Stratigos Banquet Center

June 10, 2015

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE:

Fast Track: the wrong way to

do free trade

pg. 3

Make the Pledge

pg. 6

One Voice: Issues to Watch

pg. 10

New Training Approach for

Millenials

pg. 12

MFG Meeting

pg. 16

CONSIDERATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL 401(K)

SAVINGS AND INVESTING By Arthur F. Hazen, Jr., AIFA Medallion Wealth Management Group

and Terry Connerton, Esq.

ONE VOICE LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE:

BE HEARD BY YOUR WASHINGTON REPRESENTATIVES By Franklin Partnership, LLP

You’re encouraged to bring some common-

sense solutions to Washington and join the

National Tooling and Machining

Association (NTMA) for the seventh-

annual NTMA/PMA One Voice Legislative

Conference in Washington, D.C., April 21-

22, 2015. This is your chance to have your

voice heard directly by the policymakers

who are creating the laws of the nation.

The 2014 elections ushered in yet another

wave of change in Congress—one that

allowed Republicans to take control of the

U.S. Senate and install Sen. Mitch

McConnell as the new Majority Leader. In

the House, Republicans hold their largest

majority in 86 years.

In 2015, Congress is expected to tackle

some tough issues such as energy costs and

taxes, while EPA and OSHA will be issuing

more regulations in the final two years of

the Obama Administration. It is important

that policymakers hear how these decisions

(Continued on page 9)

FOR MORE

INFORMATION ON THE

KEY ISSUES

ONE VOICE IS

ADDRESSING IN 2015

SEE PAGES 10 & 11

In today’s evolving marketplace,

a large portion of the onus for

retirement savings has fallen

primarily on employer

retirement plans and their

participants. Employers

establishing such plans have

challenges in understanding and

complying with fiduciary rules

governing the plan. Employees

are challenged to make

important decisions that will

have a significant impact on

their future. Let’s look at

several suggestions that may

help.

First, financial advisors are

stepping up to the plate in a co

-fiduciary or full fiduciary

capacity, assisting employers in

the selection and monitoring

of investment options made

available under their plans.

Part of the

responsibility of

fiduciaries to 401(k)

plans is to ensure

that participants

have multiple

options available to

them in which to

direct investment of

plan assets held in

their accounts. The

law requires a broad

range of investment

alternatives which are

diversified and offer materially

different risk and return

characteristics.


BIG THINGS IN STORE FOR 2015 A message from Chapter President Kevin Hartford, Alle-Kiski Industries

PRECISION PITTSBURGH

www.allekiskiind.com

531 Hyde Park Road, Leechburg, PA 15656

(Allegheny Twp. - Congressional District #12)

Phone: 724-845-2799 fax: 724-845-2797

Kevin Hartford, President

Ed Newell, Vice President

MACHINING, FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY

Pittsburgh Business Times 2011 Manufacturer of the Year

I promise I won’t begin this year by stating how quickly

last year flew by. I hope everyone has gotten off to a

positive start in 2015. From my vantage point there

sure appears to be quite a bit going on. We have quite

a bit going on with our Chapter, as well.

IN THE PAST YEAR, we’ve rewritten our bylaws,

which haven’t been revised since the beginning of this

millennium. The board is in the process of approving

the bylaws, and when completed, they will be sent to

the membership for your review and approval.

We’ve assisted BotsIQ in generating revenue and

expanding the program to 70-plus schools and more

than 1,000 students participating. The Southwestern

Pennsylvania BotsIQ program has gained such

recognition that NTMA National has asked OUR

BotsIQ Team to oversee their National Robotics

League.

For more information on how you can support this

tremendous workforce development program, check

out the article by Bill Padnos on page 6 and read

about the creative 5x5 pledge program. Still

wondering why it’s important? Read the interesting

article from the Post Gazette on page 12.

We have 177 apprentices going through our highly

acclaimed Apprenticeship Program. We have other

chapters asking us to assist them in setting up

successful programs for their members.

We have owners such as Rob DiNardi of L&S

Machine going on local TV to discuss our industry.

We have the Wall Street Journal featuring Oberg

Industries (the granddaddy of us all) in an article on

how all of us have to cope with the current economic

challenges and trends.

Bill Jones, president of Penn United, is leading a

group of our brethren to Washington, D.C. this

month to discuss the Free Trade Coalition and our

abiding principals with our elected representatives.

This is a passion of Bill Jones and Dave Frengel and

they do an outstanding job of representing our

industry. Dave has written an in-depth article about

the issues surrounding free trade that will offer some

greater insight.

Of course, free trade isn’t the only political issue

facing our industry, and the One Voice Advocacy

group is keeping abreast of the topics you’ll want to

follow. You’ll find a summary of the key items they

are following on page 10.

All this and it’s only February! Again we’ll have a lot

more to report in the second quarter. Until then stay

warm and busy.

ALL THE BEST FOR THE REMAINDER OF

THE YEAR!

FAST TRACK: The Wrong Way to do Free Trade By Dave Frengel, Government Affairs Consultant

NTMA members are hard-working

entrepreneurs with an unwavering

belief in free-market competition.

Not one of them wants government

handouts or protectionism to help

them succeed. But regardless of how

competitive and independent they

are, none of them accepts every job

contract offered. There are good

contracts and bad contracts.

Successful business owners know that

too many bad ones put you out of

business.

The same

holds true for

trade

agreements.

That's why

manufacturers

are paying

close

attention to

the new

Republican-

controlled

U.S.

Congress.

During the January 20th State of the

Union address, the only time most

Democrats sat while most

Republicans stood to applaud was

when the President asked for Trade

Promotion Authority (also called Fast

Track) in order to get Congressional

approval for the Trans-Pacific

Partnership (TPP), a trade

agreement among a dozen Pacific rim

nations that is not likely to gain

Congressional approval without Fast

Track.

That's not necessarily a good sign for

NTMA companies because there is

also a good way and a bad way to

expand global trade. The U.S.

Constitution spells out the right way.

However, because of Fast Track,

U.S. trade relations have been done

the wrong way for the past several

decades and the result has been a

series of bad trade agreements that

are putting lots of competitive

manufacturers out of business.

TPP is not only another bad deal, it

is bigger than all the other bad ones

combined. Unfortunately,

indications are that the Republican

leadership in Congress is aligned with

Obama to get it wrong again. This

could lead to the approval not only of

TPP, but also the equally big and

bad Transatlantic Trade and

Investment Partnership (TTIP) with

the EU.

While the

Constitution

gives the

Executive

Branch the

authority to

negotiate

foreign

treaties,

Article 1,

Section 8

gives

Congress the

duty and

authority to "regulate commerce with

foreign nations." Congress, not the

President, should select our trading

partners and determine what does

and doesn't go into trade agreements

with them. Because of Fast Track,

that's not how it has been working.

The Executive Branch has been


“This is an ‘all hands on deck’

moment for American business

leaders to contact our federal

elected officials, especially the

Republicans, and urge them not to

renew hair-trigger Fast Track.

The Capitol switchboard will connect

you to them.

Just call 202-224-3121.”


401K (Cont.)

The investment fiduciaries sift through the tens of thousands

of investment options to determine which funds with solid,

long-term performance records should be offered. Once

selection is made, then the investment fiduciaries follow a

process to continually

monitor the overall

performance of each

investment. The advisors

deliver periodic reports to

employers, showing not only

the investment results of

each alternative, and the fees

and expenses associated with

the alternatives, but also

whether the funds are

meeting the objectives set

out in the investment policy

statement. If not, then recommendations are made for

replacements. These processes for investment selections and

ongoing monitoring promote good plan management and well

-reasoned decisions, and help employers fulfill their fiduciary

duties. If there ever is a challenge to the decisions made, the

(Continued from page 1)

fiduciaries are well prepared to show through documentation

how and why decisions were made.

Second, we all have heard of the “retirement crisis” in this

country. The 2014 Retirement Confidence Survey published

by the Employee Benefit Research Institute found that only

18% of workers in this country are “very confident” they will

have enough money for a “comfortable

retirement.” The report found that

60% of the workers have saved less

than $25,000, including 36% who

say they have less than $1,000 in

savings. Behind this backdrop, recent studies have shown that the

savings rate is by far the most

important factor in determining

how much money an employee will

have upon retirement. The

employer and advisory communities

were initially focused almost solely

on investment decisions (asset

allocation and risk-adjusted returns, fees and expenses). More

recently, they are directing their efforts on encouraging

employees to save more and at an earlier age. Some employers

do this by automatically enrolling employees in their 401(k)

plan and increasing their deferrals annually. More advisors are

spending time with participants on a one-to-one basis,

educating them on how much they need to be contributing to

the 401(k) plan to meet their ultimate retirement goals. The

sooner employees start contributing, the more likely they will

meet those goals.

Third, more employer attention is being focused on how to

improve participants’ investment decisions. Initially,

employers were afraid to wade into the participant education

waters because of their fear of exposing themselves to fiduciary

liability. Participants were left to their own devices in making

decisions on the investment of their plan assets. Information

they received consisted of dense fund prospectuses that were

rarely reviewed or understood. Rather than following a

strategic rational process in making investment decisions,

decisions were all too often based on emotions (e.g., fear of

losses or overconfidence,) with too much emphasis on recent

market events. The impact of these mistakes has been shown

to have significantly decreased retirement savings. Now

employers are retaining advisors who focus on financial

education for participants, and even assume fiduciary

responsibility to provide investment advice to individual

participants. Most importantly, advisors who offer consistent

education and advice to participants have been able to change

irrational behaviors, obtain better investment results and give

participants the confidence necessary to navigate volatile

markets.

In the end, employer-sponsored retirement plans are critical in

providing employees with adequate income to retire. With a

well-managed fund, participant education and advice on

savings rates and long-term investment strategies, employees

will be better able to achieve a comfortable retirement.

18% of workers in this country are

“very confident” they will have

enough money for a “comfortable

retirement.” … 60% of the workers

have saved less than $25,000,

including 36% who say they have

less than $1,000 in savings

MAKE THE PLEDGE By Bill Padnos, executive director, BotsIQ

Pledge $5 per employee for the next five years to

ensure the STRENGTH OF MANUFACTURING

TOMORROW.

For the past two years, I have written articles for this

newsletter talking about the need for manufacturing

companies to be a part of the BotsIQ program. We

have asked for industry advisors to work with the

teams in designing and building their bot and we have

made requests for volunteers for our competitions. In

each article, I have talked about the manufacturing

skills gap and need to find talented young people to

fill the workforce pipeline.

I have dedicated column space talking about

manufacturing companies not being able to bid on

new business due to the workforce shortage along

with companies having to pay more overtime to be

able to finish their existing projects. Instead of

spending this opportunity reminding you that 40

percent of the current manufacturing workforce will

be at retirement age by the year 2020, I want to focus

on a bright future for manufacturing in southwestern

Pennsylvania.

This sunny outlook comes from the tremendous initial

success of the BotsIQ program. The number of schools

participating in BotsIQ program has grown 50 percent

over the past two years. Most of all, the number of

students involved in the program has increased almost

100 percent. The BotsIQ program is designed to be an

applied learning program where students gain a better

understanding of the manufacturing process and the

benefits of working in industry. We are not looking to

inspire students, we frankly want for them to recognize,

explore and consider manufacturing as a viable career

option.

BotsIQ has reached a critical point. We are not able to

sustain our growth without your financial support. Unlike

other programs out there, NTMA members will benefit

directly from our success. The simple truth is that BotsIQ

is the only program dedicated to help fill your workforce


Company:

Contact:

Address:

Phone:

e-mai l :

Number of Employees:

Annual Pledge Amount:

With your support, BOTSIQ WILL build a workforce for your company’s future.

Yes.

Please contact me about being an Industry advisor.

*WE WILL INVOICE YOU ANNUALLY.

5x5

I’m doing something about the future of manufacturing.

MAKE YOUR PLEDGE TODAY.

SIMPLY CUT ON THE DOTTED LINE AND RETURN TO:

SWPA BotsIQ 305 E. Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15129 or e-mail: [email protected]


needs. Well-staffed companies become thriving

companies. This is good for you, our region, our

state and our country.

This is why, if you are reading this newsletter, we

need you to make the 5X5 Pledge. We are just

asking for $5 per employee for the next five years.

For a shop with 25 employees, that’s a pledge of

just $125 per year for the next five years. Is

securing the future of manufacturing worth the

same cost of purchasing the Subway foot-long

sandwich monthly special for you and each of your

employees? While buying and eating a Subway sub

might result in a satisfying lunch, your pledge of $5

per employee for the next five years will fund the

BotsIQ program and support our efforts in building

a future manufacturing workforce. As a result, you

will not only recoup your investment but deliver

dividends for years to come.

The time to act is now. Make sure that everyone

knows that you are doing something about the

future of manufacturing. Go to www.botsiqpa.org

to download the 5X5 Pledge Card or simply cut

and mail the form on page 7 of this newsletter. All

contributions made to the campaign are tax

deductible.

(Continued from page 6)

5x5 PLEDGE (Cont.)

Take the Pledge, but don’t stop there.

Encourage your employees to volunteer at the Southwestern PA BotsIQ Preliminaries and

Finals.

Go to botsiqvolunteer.org to register today.

http://www.botsiqpa.org

http://www.botsiqvolunteer.org

QMS certified to API Q1, ISO/TS 29001, and ISO 9001:2008

impact you and your business.

What should I expect?

The program kicks off on April 21

with a lunch meeting featuring an

issue briefing from the One Voice

Washington team. As a group, we

will then head to Capitol Hill for

meetings before enjoying a

networking reception in the

evening. The entire day on April 22

will be spent on Capitol Hill

meeting with more lawmakers. In

addition, participants will enjoy

lunch with members of Congress—

a highlight of the conference that

offers a unique opportunity to chat

with legislators in a more casual

setting.

Your One Voice Washington team

takes care of scheduling all of your

congressional meetings. You will be

placed into a small group with

others from your area along with an

experienced team leader who will

take the lead in the congressional

meetings. Your job is NOT to be a

policy expert. Rather, it is to tell

members of Congress your own

story so that they can learn more

about your company and how

issues like tax policy, regulations

and others impact your business.

Additionally, there will be a pre-

conference webinar on April 9 plus

a briefing from our One Voice team

on April 21 to prepare you for the

meetings.

Registration Information

Please plan to join us April 21-22

in Washington—the more people

who attend, the stronger our voice

is in our nation’s capital to

strengthen manufacturing in

America.

(Continued from page 1) “NTMA/PMA One Voice

Legislative Conference April 2015”

to receive the room rate of $279 per

night (plus tax). The deadline for

reservations is March 31. Rooms at

this rate after the cutoff date are

subject to availability.

For More Information:

Please visit

www.metalworkingadvocate.org or

contact Kristen Hrusch at 216-264-

2845 or [email protected] with any

questions.

LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE (Cont.)

To ensure that there is sufficient

time to schedule your congressional

visits, registration for this event

closes on March 9. Register online

at: http://

www.metalworkingadvocate.org/

sites/default/files/u3/

LegislativeConfFlyer-2015.pdf or

submit the by the March 9 deadline.

Hotel Accommodations

Reservations may be made by calling

the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

(2660 Woodley Rd. NW) at 877-

212-5752. Please reference

http://www.metalworkingadvocate.org

wlmailhtml:%7bBBC2A566-1771-4A93-981D-A300E5225447%7dmid:/00000023/[email protected]

http://www.metalworkingadvocate.org/legislative-conference-registration-form


ONE VOICE FOCUS Courtesy of the Franklin Partnership, LLP

NLRB Ambush Elections (April 2015) On Capitol

Hill and in the courts, One Voice and coalition

partners have repeatedly defeated the Ambush

Election rule. However, the National Labor

Relations Board (NLRB) issued a new final rule in

December 2014 to shorten the time from when a

union election is called and a vote is held to as

little as 10 days (from the current average of 56

days). Through its coalition partners, One Voice

filed a lawsuit against the NLRB over this new

rule, which attempts to circumvent a court ruling

striking down a previous Ambush Election NLRB

proposal.

Department of Labor Persuader Rule (July 2015)

The Department of Labor indicated it would

release its final “Persuader Rule” in July 2015 after

repeated delays of its initial proposal beginning in

June 2011. The Secretary of Labor has long said

the rule is a priority and forthcoming. The new

regulation requires that employers and their

advisors file certain reports with the Department if

they use outside labor consultants to interact with

their employees during a union organizing activity

or collective bargaining dispute.

OSHA Electronic Recordkeeping (August 2015)

One Voice filed comments opposing an

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

(OSHA) proposal to post on the Internet incident/

injury reports similar to Form 300A. The

administration is trying to require businesses with

20 or more employees to file incident/accident

reports electronically on an annual basis (those

with more than 250 employees file quarterly)

which they will make public. In August 2014,

OSHA issued a supplemental notice to amend the

original rule to require that employers inform their

employees of their right to report injuries and

adding whistleblower protections for employees.

The proposed rule does not improve workplace

safety and will only create a misperception of

manufacturing as a dangerous occupation. The

OSHA Electronic Recordkeeping rule becomes

final in August 2015.

Greenhouse Gas Rule (June 2015) One Voice filed

comments opposing a June 2014 EPA draft

regulation aiming to reduce carbon dioxide and

other emissions from existing power plants up to

30 percent by 2030 compared with 2005 levels.

The regulation follows a rule regulating emissions

from new power plants, requiring new coal-fired

facilities to trap or "capture" carbon emissions – a

roughly 60% reduction. More than 2.65 million

stakeholders filed comments on the proposal. EPA

is on track to finalize the rule in June 2015.

Ground Level Carbon Emissions (October 2015)

The day before Thanksgiving 2014, the

administration announced it would move forward

with further regulation of ground level ozone, the

main component of smog. One Voice is strongly

opposed to this new initiative, which experts say

will cost the U.S. economy $3.4 trillion by 2040

and put nearly 3 million jobs at risk each year. The

White House twice ordered the EPA to delay the

proposal – ahead of the 2012 Presidential elections

and most recently, prior to the 2014 Congressional

midterms. The proposal will reduce ground level

ozone levels from 75 parts per billion (ppb) to as

low as 65ppb. Some environmental groups are

calling for a reduction to 60ppb, which would

classify the entire U.S. as a non-attainment zone,

potentially limiting manufacturing production,

expansion of facilities, and hiring new employees.

The EPA announced it will finalize the new ozone

standards by October 1, 2015.

IRS 501(c)(4) Political Activity Report (Pending

2015) In May 2014 the IRS announced it will

withdraw a proposed rule governing the political

activities of IRS(c)(4) groups. One Voice filed

comments with the IRS against the proposed rule,

which the agency considered extending to

nonprofit groups such as PMA and NTMA. The

rule could prevent associations from distributing

information to their members about congressional

candidates in the final weeks of a campaign.

Sources indicate the IRS will now try again and

move the rule in 2015.

The final two years of the Obama Administration promises to bring a flurry of environmental and work-place regulations. In 2014 alone, the EPA proposed rules costing manufacturers billions of dollars each year. Following are a few of the regulatory issues on which One Voice is focusing its attention in 2015:

Creation of Micro-Unions within a Single Employer

(Pending 2015) One Voice is part of a broad

coalition involved in challenging the legality of an

NLRB decision allowing as few as two employees to

form a micro-union. This potentially means

employers would have to negotiate with multiple

unions in contract discussions – from production to

janitorial to administrative. Opponents have filed

suit and will continue to fight the latest attempt by

the NLRB to permit the formation of micro-unions.

Courts are expected to rule in 2015.

Combustible Dust Standards (February 2016)

OSHA pushed back its proposed Combustible Dust

Standards while it worked on the Silica Dust rule.

However, the Department of Labor announced in its

Fall 2014 Semiannual Regulatory Agenda that

OSHA plans to convene a small business review

panel for combustible dust in February 2016. Since

2011, OSHA repeatedly delayed convening the

panel, a requirement before the rule may proceed.

Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2)

(October 2016) In 2014, under pressure from One

Voice and other industry partners, the Occupational

Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) quietly

announced it is delaying a proposed rule requiring

employers to implement an Injury and Illness

Prevention Program (I2P2). This proposed rule will

include new standards of what constitutes an

effective workplace safety program. The

International Organization for Standardization

(ISO) is working on global guidelines it may finalize

in October 2016 (ISO 45001: 2016)


Finding millennials who are interested

in manufacturing and have the aptitude

for it are two challenges facing Western

Pennsylvania manufacturers trying to

replace retiring baby boomers. But

there’s another: teaching millennials

once they find them.

Employers are discovering that the next

generation of workers learns differently

than they did.

“Millennials like to see results right

now,” said Scott Covert, who runs an

in-house training program at Penn

United Technologies, a Butler County

tool-and-die shop that employs about

600.

That requires online courses and lots of

hands-on work where students learn

practical applications of theory.

At Butler County Community College,

which offers a number of

manufacturing-related degrees, getting

and keeping millennials engaged means

using 3-D printers, laser cutters and

other equipment that puts a finished

product in students’ hands quickly. The

products include 3-D printed plastic

molds used to make chocolate candies

featuring the school’s logo.

“These students are so used to instant

gratification. This feeds right into their

personality,” said Mike Aikens, a

natural science and technology

professor. “We have to connect with

them. They are digital natives.”

One of the classes Mr. Aikens teaches

was developed through National

Science Foundation grants promoting

science, technology, engineering and

math, or STEM, skills. The grants fund

workshops where teachers learn how to

teach other teachers how to incorporate

lessons in those subjects into a semester

-long class where students make custom

-designed electric guitars.

About 2.7 million manufacturing

workers are expected to retire in the

next eight years or so, according to the

Manufacturing Institute, the research

arm of the National Association of

Manufacturers. While the economy and

a lack of retirement savings may


MANUFACTURERS DRAW IN MILLENNIALS

WITH NEW TRAINING APPROACH By Len Boselovic / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“We have to connect with them.

They are digital natives.”

persuade some boomers to work a few more years,

manufacturers know they will eventually have to replace

them.

However, the pool of potential recruits is limited by the

mistaken impression that manufacturing means doing

dirty jobs in dirty places.

“Advanced manufacturing today is a very high-tech,

high-skilled career,” said Neil Ashbaugh, who oversees

training at Oberg Industries, a Buffalo Township

company that produces machined and stamped metal

parts.

Mr. Ashbaugh, 45, joined Oberg as an apprentice in

1993, knowing that it would take him 42 to 54 months

to complete the program. Today, online courses allow

apprentices to complete the program at their own pace,

Mr. Ashbaugh said.

“I still enjoy seminars where I sit and get lectures. The

millennials are a little different,” he said.

They include his son, Ian, who is pursuing an associate

degree in engineering at Butler Community College.

This semester, Ian Ashbaugh and his classmates

designed novelty holders for USB devices, then

produced them on the school’s 3-D printer. Some

designs didn’t work because they didn’t take into

account the space needed to insert the USB device into

a port.

Mr. Ashbaugh said his son reported the assignment

taught him that while manufacturing creates neat things,

“When you get into business, you have to create neat

things that work or solve a problem.’’

Last year, Penn United started a semester-long program

that teaches high school students basic technical skills

through a combination of online learning and hands-on

work at the company’s training center. About 70 to 100

students from Butler, Knoch and Karns City high

schools and Evangel Heights Christian Academy are

expected to complete the free course this year, Mr.

Covert said.

Kennametal, a Latrobe-area tool maker, started a high

school-level program three years ago to get students

interested in manufacturing careers. About 150 students

have completed its semester-long Young Engineers

program, which is available at Greater Latrobe Senior

High School as well as at Solon High School in

suburban Cleveland, where Kennametal has a plant.

Several graduates of the program later accepted

internships with the company.

Matt Kovac, dean of Butler County Community

Colleges Natural Science and Technology

department, said the school’s emphasis on hands-

on learning and making things fills a void in

millennials’ experience.

Previous generations had plenty of opportunities to

learn how to fix or make things, whether it was

through Lincoln Log kits or getting help fixing a

car from their father or neighbor. Millennials

“don’t have the built-in familiarity with fixing

(Continued from page 12) things, making things,” he said.

Mr. Kovacs wonders if some of the enthusiasm generated

when students learn how to make guitars, USB device

holders and other things comes from the fact those kinds

of opportunities aren’t as abundant as they were when he

was their age.

Copyright ©, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2015, all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

choosing where to open trade and

what goes into our trade agreements.

Fast track is a special rule

circumventing regular Congressional

order to move trade deals quickly to

approval. It requires that when the

President officially submits trade

agreements to Congress there will be

an up or down vote by both the

House and Senate, without

amendments, within 90 days. This

makes it too easy for both good and

bad trade deals to get approved.

First instituted during the Nixon

administration, Fast Track and the

trade agreements that have been

approved using it are so

controversial, they have always been

set to expire after five years. The

fourth and most recent renewal of

Fast Track expired in 2002. Fast

Track legislation also has always

included Congressional standards for

what should and shouldn't be

included in trade agreements.

To make matters worse, although

the President is not authorized to

limit Congressional access to trade

negotiations, Obama's trade officials

have been keeping TPP and TTIP

documents under lock and key;

unprecedentedly allowing Members

of Congress only very limited access

to them and entirely barring the

public, including Congressional

trade staffers, from access. Leaks

clearly indicate, however, that the

most important trade agreement

priorities set by Congress have been

ignored by negotiators in both of

these trade deals.

If Congress gives Fast Track to

Obama, he will get away with all of

this because Fast Track has a hair

trigger; the special rules go into

effect when he submits these trade

deals to Congress for approval,

regardless of whether or not they

meet the standards set by Congress.

Fast Track's hair trigger allows

neither elected officials and their staff

nor the public sufficient opportunity to

thoroughly examine these huge trade

contracts before Congress has to vote

on them. So there will be only a

kindergarten debate: "Are you a free

trader or a protectionist?!"

Even genuine free-trade Congressmen

can't risk being labeled protectionist,

even for voting down a bad trade

agreement. So under Fast Track,

Congress just keeps rubber-stamping

one bad trade deal after another.

Combined, TPP and TTIP encompass

about 80% of the global economy.

Getting both of them wrong will change

the global political economy in many

significant and undesirable ways that

we will have to live with for a long time

- ways from which American

manufacturing and our national

sovereignty will likely never recover.

Thankfully a growing number of

Republicans and most Democrats are

not in favor of doing trade this way

anymore.

A better way to promote free markets

and the broad national interest is to

restore the balance of power. Trade

agreements should move through

Congress under regular order unless

Congress has been actively involved in

the selection of nations targeted for

trade agreements and in the negotiation

process. New trade legislation also

must insure that there is regular public

disclosure of trade negotiation draft

documents and that any special rule to

move proposed agreements quickly to

approval is triggered only when it is

determined that they meet the

standards set by Congress.

This is an "all hands on deck" moment

for American business leaders to

contact our federal elected officials,

especially the Republicans, and urge

them not to renew hair trigger Fast

Track. The Capitol switchboard will

connect you to them. Just call 202-224

-3121.

We cannot afford more bad trade deals.

FAST TRACK (Cont.)

107 Freedom Court

Moon Township, PA 15108

Phone: (724) 601-6008

e-mail: [email protected]

PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT NO. 130

GREENSBURG, PA

The fifth edition of The MFG Meeting, March 4-7, 2015, will bring together the manufacturing community to

learn, network and be inspired. This year’s meeting will focus on the power of manufacturing, which is driven by

innovation, design, insight, and people. The presentations from industry leaders will provide creative ways to

optimize the drivers of manufacturing and provide

solutions to strengthen your business. The event is

organized by AMT – The Association For

Manufacturing Technology, the National Tooling

and Machining Association (NTMA) and the

Precision Metalforming Association (PMA).

For a complete agenda, list of speakers and travel

information, visit: http://

www.themfgmeeting.com/ or call: 800-248-6862.

FEEL THE POWER OF

MANUFACTURING AT MFG 2015!

The MFG MEETING: Manufacturing For Growth

MARCH 4-7, 2015

ORLANDO, FL

PRECISION PITTSBURGH

Documents

Transcript of PRECISION PITTSBURGH