State Has Lowest Unionization In Country

Hoping for better wages and benefits, workers at a Vought Aircraft Industries plant in South Carolina have taken the relatively unusual step of unionizing.

The Associated Press reports just over half the 127 workers at Vought's North Charleston plant chose to be represented by International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in a vote taken last month.

According to the IAM website, workers at the North Charleston plant earn $15 per hour, while workers at other Vought and Boeing plants across the nation make between $22 and $32 an hour.

"The people in Charleston are hard workers, and they deserve to be compensated fairly," said union spokesman Bob Wood. "That's what we're about."

"Vought intends to negotiate in good faith with the IAM," Vought said in a prepared statement. "We will strive to reach a collective bargaining agreement that will allow us to continue to meet the needs of our employees, our customers and the company."

Unions represent just 3.3 percent of workers in South Carolina, the lowest rate in the nation according to the state Commerce Department.

The North Charleston facility produces components for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. While supplier problems have resulted in a six-month delay to the important Boeing program, Vought CEO Elmer Doty told analysts recently there isn't a quality problem in North Charleston.

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