Remarks Come During Visit To Boeing's Everett, WA Location

During a visit to Boeing's assembly facility in Everett, WA, late last week, President Barack Obama held up the company's new 787 assembly plant in Charleston, SC, as an example of the strength of American manufacturing.

White House Photo

The NLRB had tried to close the South Carolina plant by filing a lawsuit against Boeing on behalf of unionized workers in Washington state.

"So this company is a great example of what American manufacturing can do in a way that nobody else in the world can do it," the President said. "And the impact of your success, as I said, goes beyond the walls of this plant. Every Dreamliner that rolls off the assembly line here in Everett supports thousands of jobs in different industries all across the country. Parts of the fuselage are manufactured in South Carolina and Kansas. Wing edges, they come from Oklahoma. Engines assembled in Ohio. The tail fin comes from right down the road in Frederickson. And the people in every one of these communities, some of whom -- who are here today, they are benefitting from the work that you do."

South Carolina is a right-to-work state, and the NLRB had argued that Boeing chose to build what will become its second assembly facility there in retaliation against union workers in the Pacific northwest for labor actions which had slowed production at various times. The board dropped the suit after a new labor agreement was signed between Boeing and the machinists union.

All of that seems to be ancient history now for a President running for re-election. "What's happening here in Everett can happen in other industries," the President said. (Below L-R Boeing plants in Everett and Charleston)

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov, www.boeing.com