Metalcasters Speak Out for the Foundry Industry in Washington, D.C.

In May, more than 200 foundrymen and women from 28 states met in our nation's capital for AFS' annual Metalcasting Industry Government Affairs Conference. This year's outstanding and informative lineup of speakers included: Speaker of the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert (R-Ill); Syndicated Columnist George will; United Steelworkers' of America President George Becker; and Small Business Administration Chief Counsel for Advocacy Jere Glover, Conference participants heard about a series of upcoming regulations and legislation that will impact the foundry industry, including a briefing devoted to OSHA's development of a comprehensive silica regulation and the current ergonomics proposal. They also had the opportunity to interact with members of congress and participate in AFS' first-ever forum on whether or not to grant China permanent normalized trade relations. Metalcasters visited more than 150 legislators in an intensive day of meeti ngs dubbed "Metalcasting Day." The goal of the meetings was to speak out and raise awareness about the importance of our industry to the nation's economy and garner support for several important industry issues. Plan now for next year's conference to be held April 1-3 in Washington, D.C.