Have you seen this?
NLRB Withdraws Boeing Complaint
The National Labor Relations Board dropped a high-profile complaint against Boeing Co., a move that was expected after the aerospace company’s 31,000-member machinists union approved a sweeping contract extension earlier this week.
The NLRB said Friday that it withdrew the April complaint, which charged the aerospace company with illegally retaliating against the union for previous strikes by opening an aircraft-production line at a non-union plant in South Carolina.
The agency had filed the complaint on behalf of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers after siding with the union’s allegations. Boeing contested the charges, saying it had made a business decision and didn’t retaliate against the union. The case drew heavy criticism from the business community and some Republican lawmakers, who said the NLRB should not be interfering with companies’ choices about where to open factories….
The action makes sense — certainly a lot more sense than the agency’s previous position. I kept wondering where NLRB thought it was going with that. I mean, try to imagine the agency actually making Boeing pull back out of South Carolina. A federal agency telling a major corporation where it can do business within the United States? It would have been like nothing that I can recall in U.S. labor history. It would have required a complete rethinking of the role of government in the economy. It would have been way more radical than what GOP politicians seem to think Obamacare is.
Speaking of Republican politicians, this decision has left some of them off-balance. There they were in full outrage mode, and now, “Huh?” They’re like Wile E. Coyote, who suddenly realizes there’s no mesa beneath him.
Lindsey Graham is demanding an investigation:
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) is calling for a congressional investigation into collaboration between the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union against The Boeing Company’s decision to build a second 787 Dreamliner production facility in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Graham’s announcement comes after the NLRB announced it will drop its complaint against Boeing.
Graham also reaffirmed today he will continue to place an indefinite Senate hold on nominations to the NLRB Board. Beginning in January 2012, the NLRB will have just two members. The Supreme Court last year ruled that an agency board with just two members lacks the authority to issue case rulings.
More to the point, the senator said, “For the sake of the Boeing South Carolina workers, I’m pleased to hear the frivolous complaint that has put a cloud over their operations has been lifted. However, it’s hard to celebrate an event which never should have happened…”
By the way, I THINK this is the new Boeing plant. I shot this in North Charleston yesterday, near the airport. There were no signs to confirm, that I saw...
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Rick Perry had this to say:
“The Obama Administration’s dangerous and inappropriate action against Boeing and the right to work state of South Carolina remains a frightening reminder of Washington excess even with the NLRB dropping the case. Unaccountable federal political appointees should never have the authority to tell a private company where it may or must build factories.
“The NLRB action was a political payoff for the Obama Administration’s liberal big labor organizers, and remains a strong example of why President Obama must be defeated and Washington must be seriously overhauled.”
This is like political judo, people. Obama gets his Republican opponents charging in his direction, and instead of resisting, pulls them down in the direction of their motion…
And Joe Wilson said this:
“For the past year, the President’s National Labor Relations Board has played the role of a Big Labor Bully by threatening to cut the jobs of hardworking and deserving South Carolinians by stalling the expansion of the 787 Dreamliner project in Charleston. I am very pleased to see that the International Association of Machinists requested to withdraw its complaint against Boeing and that the NLRB approved their request.
“Boeing chose to locate to South Carolina due to its welcoming business climate due in large part to its right-to-work laws. Instead of focusing on ways to promote the influence of unions in our nation’s workforce, I urge the current Administration to enact policies protecting the rights of workers and allowing for growth in our private sector through job creation.”
As long as I gave you those, here’s what Newt Gingrich said:
“The NLRB’s suit was a politically motivated assault on the rule of law by President Obama and his big labor allies. The founding fathers warned that when government grows too big the law would be usurped for political purposes. This case was an example of that.
“This is a victory for South Carolina and all right-to-work states, and a reminder that the American people will not be dictated to by out-of-control bureaucrats in Washington.”
Texas Governot, Rick Perry has “good hair”, but there’s nothing inside his head. Perry is like SC Governot Nikki Haley and Louisiana Governot, Bobby Jindal. The elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top floor.
Late July, I saw stupid statements by TX Guv’not Perry & FL Guv’not Rick Scott (not a candidate yet) blaming Obama for killing the Space Shuttle program. Uh, it was George Bush who retired the Space Shuttle program.
Idiots!