Lede: The U.S. Air Force is deciding between a French company and Boeing to supply new aerial refueling tankers – and thousands of U.S. jobs hang in the balance. Doug Cunningham reports.

By Doug Cunningham

The $40 billion dollar contract means critical support for 44,000 U.S. jobs, according to Dr. Gabriela Lemus, Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement.

[Lemus 1]: “We’re talking about jobs. The difference is something to the extent of 44,000 versus 1,000. And EADS, which is the French company, has partnered with Northrup-Grumman, which gives them a certain amount of cover in the United States. But they’re talking only about 1,000 jobs in the state of Alabama versus 44,000 jobs which would be shared throughout different states.”

There are also serious questions about $100 million in alleged illegal trade subsidies being used by the French firm as it competes for this huge U.S. defense contract. Dr. Lemus says giving the contract to the French company is essentially outsourcing U.S. defense needs.

[Lemus 2]: “It’s healthy to have competition , but it’s also really critical that they take into account t hat we need to keep really good jobs at home, especially these kinds of jobs which are critical not only to the economy, but to the national security of the nation.”