Defends Its Actions In A Congressional Field Hearing In SC

An official of the NLRB says the board has acted appropriately in taking action against Boeing for opening an assembly plant in right-to-work South Carolina.

NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon said during a field hearing called by California Republican Congressman Darrell Issa in North Charleston, SC, last week that the complaint had been brought because the NLRB feels that Boeing opened the plant in the right-to-work state as a retaliation against unions in Seattle which have exercised their right to strike. He said that it was not the intent of the board to harm workers in South Carolina, but to "protect the rights of workers ... to engage in activities protected by the National Labor Relations Board without fear of discrimination."

The Wall Street Journal reports that the complaint is being heard by a court in Seattle. The NLRB filed the suit saying Boeing was punishing union workers in the Pacific northwest by opening its second 787 assembly plant in South Carolina, where labor unions are much weaker than in Seattle. Boeing has said that the charges are "groundless," and that they will take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary.

Solomon, who was subpoenaed by Issa to testify, said that he views the suit as a tool to bring the two sides to a settlement. When asked by South Carolina freshman Republican Congressman Trey Gowdy if any jobs in Seattle had been lost as the result of the opening of the South Carolina plant, Solomon said that none had.

The Editorial Board of the Washington Post said in an op-ed piece that the move by the NLRB to force Boeing to move jobs out of South Carolina to Washington State "goes too far" and would undermine any business' ability to consider labor factors in determining where it should locate facilities. Post columnist Charles Krauthammer said that the move "jeopardizes the economic recovery" and violates principles of the free market. The Washington Times estimates that a forced shutdown of the South Carolina plant would cost as many as 4,000 direct and indirect jobs in the region.

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