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ATK RECEIVES $488M IN SMALL-CALIBER AMMUNITION ORDERSUB Daily
ATK (NYSE: ATK) has received orders totaling more than $488 million for small caliber ammunition pursuant to an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island (ACC-RI).
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Today in Manufacturing
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Today in Manufacturing
The number of people applying for unemployment benefits surged last week to the highest level in eight months, a sign the job market may be weakening ... continue
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Chad Moutray – NAM ShopFloor Blog
With overall manufacturing output rising, overall productivity among manufacturers rose 6.3 percent in the first quarter of 2011, up from 5.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to data released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Productivity gains were higher for durable goods (9.8 percent) than nondurables (4.5 percent). Over the course of the last year, manufacturing output per hour for all persons has risen 4.7 percent, and as a result, unit labor costs have fallen 1.4 percent. Hours worked and compensation grew 3.3 and 2.6 percent, respectively, so the decline in unit labor costs was simply a factor of stronger output growth (up 9.7 percent).
For the overall economy, productivity rose 1.6 percent, slowing from the 2.9 percent gain in the previous quarter, reflecting a sluggish economic growth and rising compensation. Hourly compensation for nonfarm workers was up 2.6 percent, with overall labor costs rising 1.0 percent.
Overall, this report shows that manufacturers are bucking the larger trends in the macroeconomy, with higher output and productivity in the first quarter. These figures lend credence to that strength, and while unit labor costs fell in this quarter, the overall productivity gains should reinforce the need for additional hiring in the manufacturing sector over the coming months, particularly in light of strong output gains. Indeed, other surveys have suggested that manufacturers have stepped up their hiring of late.
Chad Moutray is chief economist for the National Association of Manufacturers.
Carter Wood – NAM ShopFloor Blog
One argument Americans do NOT need to hear in today’s House debate on H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, is encouraging domestic energy production will do nothing to lower high gas prices today because, after all, it will take years for any new drilling to produce oil and gas. That old argument is just an excuse for inaction.
And it is an old argument. As Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) observed on a conference call with bloggers Wednesday, opponents are always saying it will take 10 years or seven years to have impact, but they were saying 10 or seven years ago. With action then, we might not have this problem.
Hastings, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, then dared to cite market forces in his further rebuttal:
But to me, there’s a bigger portion to this, and that is, crude oil is a global commodity and that we know. Yet we are sitting on potential reserves here that are absolutely huge, and the world knows that. And if we send a signal to the markets that we’re going to go after the resources that we have in this country … — and keep in mind, OPEC controls about 45 percent of the market — I think that will send a signal to the market that we are very, very serious about utilizing our resources, and I think that will have a positive impact on driving the price of gasoline down.
As a matter of fact, that happened in 2008, if you recall. Because there was a congressional and a presidential moratoria [on outer continental shelf drilling] in 2008 going into the gas crisis, $4 a gallon in August of that year. Both of those moratoria went away, and you know, the gas prices dropped, and I think there’s no question about that, it was because there was a signal to the market….
A lot of people say there are other factors controlling prices, and my short answer to that is, sure there are other factors. It’s called OPEC. They’re a cartel….In any sort of cartel, if you want to beat a cartel, you increase the supply of whatever that cartel is controlling. So if we send a signal that we’re going to increase the potential supply of crude oil in the world, I think the market will respond accordingly.
Carter Wood – NAM ShopFloor Blog
The House of Representatives today debates H.R. 1230, Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, one of three bills House Republicans have proposed in their American Energy Initiative to increase the reliable production of domestic oil and natural gas. (House floor schedule)
The National Association of Manufacturers on Wednesday sent the House a “Key Vote” letter urging support for the bill, as well as H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act.
Excerpt:
Manufacturers support energy policies that: 1) expand domestic supplies in an environmentally safe manner; and 2) lower costs for manufacturers, which use nearly one-third of our nation’s energy. Access to competitively priced energy helps manufacturers compete in the global economy and preserves high-paying jobs here at home.
Every day of unnecessary delay in permitting costs jobs and hurts America’s manufacturers and their employees. Thousands of jobs were lost during the 2010 offshore moratorium. Companies that make and supply equipment, services, engines, boats and materials such as steel and concrete suffered under the moratorium and continue to suffer.(continue reading…)
NAM HITS BACK AT NLRB’S ACTIONS SEEKING TO DICTATE WHERE COMPANIES CAN DO BUSINESS
NAM Capital BriefingIn late April, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed a lawsuit that would effectively set a national standard in prohibiting companies from expanding in right-to-work states. This complaint would reverse 45 years of the NLRB’s own precedent and Supreme Court rulings – a radical departure from established rules.
The NAM is concerned about what the outcome of the complaint could mean for member companies, their ability to create jobs and compete in a global marketplace, and our nation's economy as a whole.
At the heart of the debate is whether an employer has the right to consider past work disruptions in decisions about where to expand or locate new operations. The law and past NLRB decisions on these matters is clear: Employers have the right to make these type of business decisions and consider factors including the prevention of potential economic harm from a work stoppage.
The NAM believes the NLRB has overstepped its bounds and should reconsider its decision to pursue this complaint. “No company will be safe from the NLRB stepping in to second-guess its business decisions on where to expand or whom to hire,” said Joe Trauger, NAM vice president of human resources policy.
The NLRB is seeking a court order to force a member company to move its new, expanded production from South Carolina to Washington state. If successful, the NLRB will gain the ability to, at any time, order a company with unionized operations to stay frozen in place, even to the extent of ordering it to shut down new facilities built in right-to-work states. The NLRB would dictate whom the company could or could not employ, negatively impacting the productive deployment of capital expenditures in the United States and threatening the ability of states to compete for new jobs and investment.
“This unprecedented overreach of power by the NLRB sets a dangerous precedent that will affect the rights of businesses across the country. It tells companies they could be punished for doing business in right to work states… and potentially lose millions of dollars in investment in these states,” said Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA).
Other lawmakers also are questioning the Board’s actions. In a letter to the NLRB, Republican members of the Senate Health, Education Labor and Pension (HELP) Committee raised strong concerns about the Board's interference with that they called a "legitimate business decision" and “the chilling effect that your action may have on business decisions across the country."
The letter states: “We have a duty to ensure that the National Labor Relations Act is being enforced in a fair manner. In this and other decisions, we believe that you have ignored the proper balance set forth in the Act between the employees’ right to collectively bargain and the employers’ right to due process.”
On Tuesday, May 3, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Jim DeMint (R-SC) said they plan to introduce legislation to prevent the NLRB from taking action. Sen. Alexander said: “We are calling it the Right to Work Protection Act, and it is our intent to preserve the right of each state to make a decision for itself about whether it will have a right-to-work law and have an ability to enforce it.”
OFFSHORE DRILLING BILLS ARE CRITICAL TO INCREASING ENERGY SUPPLY
NAM Capital BriefingOn Wednesday, May 4, the House took up two bills intended to lift the drilling permitorium and put Americans back to work. The offshore drilling bills offered by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA), H.R. 1229, the Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act, and H.R. 1230, the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act, both aim to accelerate the offshore permitting process for the Gulf of Mexico and would force the Department of Interior (DOI) to hold lease sales that were canceled or delayed since the moratorium. The NAM sent a key vote letter in support of the passage of both H.R. 1229 and H.R. 1230 to increase access to domestic energy sources. The letter can be viewed here. Details: Mahta Mahdavi, (202) 637-3176.{Back to top}
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