Boeing Says Reports Are Questionable

Members of the International Association of Machinists canvassing Boeing employees to build support for establishing a union at the company's South Carolina facility say they were not well received at the homes of some of the company's employees.

Fox News reports that some union reps said they were chased off front porches by Boeing employees brandishing guns at the front door. In an unfair labor practice filing with the National Labor Relations Board, the union alleged that "two organizers were threatened at gunpoint and others reported hostile and near-violent confrontations," according to a news release.

Boeing officials said they were "dubious" about the claims. Boeing said in a statement that the IAM's allegations are "frivolous and our team is continuing to focus on building the highest-quality airplanes in the world."

Local police said they had not had any reports of any such incidents. "If it happened, they didn't call the police," said a spokesman for the Charleston police department. The Charleston County Sheriff also said there had been no reports of union representatives threatened at gunpoint.

South Carolina is a right to work state, and Governor Nikki Haley has been an outspoken critic of unions.

FMI: www.goiam.org, www.boeing.com