Bob King, president of the International Union, United Automobile Aerospace & Agricultural, Implement Workers of America (UAW) sent letters last week to the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Appropriations defense subcommittees and House Armed Services Committee in support of keeping the General Dynamics [GD] Abrams tank production line open.

As members prepare for the fiscal year 2013 department of defense appropriations bill, the UAW says the plan to end tank modernization puts the armor industrial base in jeopardy and would “result in the loss of thousands” of manufacturing jobs.

The April 4 letters said UAW members in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Alabama and elsewhere believe the plan puts at risk the specialized, high-skilled, and highly-paid workforce that makes up the armor industrial base of more than 800 large and small critical suppliers around the country.

King’s letter also said the Army plan makes “no sense” for taxpayers, in that it is estimated to cost $1.6 billion to mothball the Abrams line. Building tanks until the Army’s planned restart would cost $1 billion.

American workers have been building tanks since 1941 and ending tank production has been proposed before and rejected each time, the letters said. “I urge you to do so again and authorize funding of 33 M1A2 Abrams tanks in your mark up,…” King wrote.