Tue, Jun 21, 2011
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.
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