The NLRA Lawsuit is a “Bastardization” of the law. (Sen. Graham)VIEW THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF SEN. GRAHAM’S STATEMENTS
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed suit against Boeing Corporation to stop the construction of a second plant being built in Charleston, SC on the grounds that it was violating the employees’ rights.
NLRB COMPLAINT:
“Specifically, the union charged that the decision to transfer the line was made to retaliate against union employees for participating in past strikes and to chill future strike activity, which is protected under the National Labor Relations Act.”
“Boeing violated two sections of the National Labor Relations Act by making coercive statements and threats to employees for engaging in statutorily protected activities, and by deciding to place the second line at a non-union facility, and establish a parts supply program nearby, in retaliation for past strike activity and to chill future strike activity by its union employees.”
LAW:
The action invokes provisions of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), specifically:
Section 7: The employees have the right to self-organize ...
Section 8(a): It is unlawful to prevent employees from exercising Section 7
Section 13: It is unlawful to discriminate and discourage membership in a labor organization.
EVIDENCE:
A Boeing executive was quoted as saying, "The overriding factor (in transferring the line) was not the business climate. And it was not the wages we’re paying today. It was that we cannot afford to have a work stoppage, you know, every three years."
Another Boeing official was caught saying that “we are going to punish you for striking and to prevent you from striking again.”
BOEING’S ANSWER:
The Washington Plant will remain open and will continue to get a majority of the 787 Dreamliner assembly business. In addition, they have added more than 2000 jobs in the Seattle Washington plant since 2009.
ROBERTS|JUSTICE’s analysis:
It appears that Boeing’s management is attempting to create the best of both worlds - a striking and a non-striking plant for the same class of workers. It’s a loose interpretation of the concept “Separate but Equal”. It is not clear whether the rights of those who do not wish to strike is actually protected. Because as so often happens, those who do not wish to strike are out-voted by a majority of workers who want to strike. So, their solution appears to be this: Move the non-strikers to Charleston but keep the strikers in Seattle.
