PILMA

Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association

Congressman Carson Praises Unions, Companies Collaborative Approach to Jobs and Innovation in Indiana’s Bioscience Sector

Congressman Carson Praises Unions, Companies Collaborative Approach to Jobs and Innovation in Indiana’s Bioscience Sector

Jeff Stinson of Iron Workers Local 22 showing Rep. Carson and Mike O’Connor of Eli Lilly and Company the welding operation at the training center

On Monday, December 20, 2010, the Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association (PILMA) hosted Congressman Andre Carson (D-IN) at a tour of a state-of-the-art training facility run by Iron Workers Local Union 22 in Indianapolis. The event, cosponsored by PILMA partner Hoosiers Work for Health, brought together leaders from industry, labor and government to focus on job creation and innovation Indiana’s bioscience sector.

Local Union 22 and Eli Lilly have worked together for years to keep Indiana at the forefront of innovation and job growth in the pharmaceutical industry. Before the tour, Local 22 Business Manager Jeff Stinson and Eli Lilly and Company representative Mike O’Connor both addressed the group and spoke to the success of this partnership.

Rep. Carson speaking with Kristin Jones, President & CEO of Indiana Health Industry Forum, and an instructor at the Iron Workers Local 22 training center.

“By securing our state’s bioscience sector, we can ensure that Indiana can remain a fortress of high-paying jobs, economic growth and innovation well into the future,” Stinson said. “This training center highlights our commitment to providing the dedicated, highly-skilled workforce needed to support this bioscience-rich state.”

Congressman Carson also praised the unions and companies for their collaborative approach and noted the critical role that a highly-skilled and trained workforce plays in the state’s innovation economy. “If Hoosiers are to be competitive in our future economy we need to sustain our highly-skilled workforce,” said Rep. Carson. “With Indiana having the second highest concentration of biopharmaceutical jobs in the nation, this training facility will provide the needed support to further develop our workers and the life sciences industry.”

Rep. Carson speaks to the crowd at the Iron Workers Local 22 training center.

Indiana is home to more than 500 life sciences companies. These companies provide jobs for a wide range of professionals—from construction workers and engineers who build the facilities to the sanitation workers, groundskeepers and administrative professionals who keep the plants running. If the U.S. is to remain competitive, it is imperative that life science industry leaders, such as Indiana, secure their position as a center of innovation.