In Boeing Plant's Union Election, Machinists Face Heavy Opposition From South Carolina Elected Offic

[Omaha Steve]

The Machinists are trying to overcome loud opposition from Gov. Nikki Haley. In this photo, a table at the union's headquarters in North Charleston. Reuters

http://www.ibtimes.com/boeing-plants-union-election-machinists-face-heavy-opposition-south-carolina-elected-1874725

By Cole Stangler @colestangler on April 09 2015 2:00 PM EDT

Among the many obstacles facing unions seeking to organize in southern states are the often aggressively anti-union views of area politicians. Consider the following.

Keith Summey, the Republican mayor of North Charleston, South Carolina, gave an interview last week to local press about a high-stakes union election at the city’s Boeing factory. Some 3,200 production employees will decide on April 22, whether to join the International Association of Machinists (IAM), and Summey was urging workers to vote against the union, which already represents thousands of employees at Boeing’s landmark assembly plant in Everett, Washington.

In the interview, Summey claimed the Machinists harbor ulterior motives. He cited an article from a “newspaper on the West Coast” in which “the head of the union there says this is going to make it easier for them to keep jobs on the West Coast and not lose them to South Carolina.”

In fact, no such story exists. It is possible that Summey is referring to a recent article in the Puget Business Journal that quotes the head of the Machinists’ Seattle-based local at Boeing. But in that story, the labor leader doesn’t say anything about keeping jobs in the Pacific Northwest.

FULL story at link.

[ladjf]

1. I'm surprised that Boeing didn't get the union thing worked out before they

located the plant in South Carolina. If the state squelches the union, Boeing might have to leave the state.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

3. Why?

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the plant unionizing, but if it doesn't, why would Boeing have to leave?

[ladjf]

4. This is just my opinion.

As far as I know, all of Boeing's plants are unionized. If the S.C. plant is not, it will cause some serious dissension with the their unionized work forces. But, maybe not. I'm no expert on the subject. Boeing is an huge company with a massive work force. They don't need to play "candy ass" with the Governor of S.C.

[SickOfTheOnePct]

5. I'm of the opinion

that the reason that Boeing went to SC was to have a non-union plant. I'm guessing they're hoping for the employees to vote against the union, but I could be wrong.

[Populist_Prole]

2. Predicted and expected

In one of the most deeply crimson of states.

Doesn't surprise me at all that the elected officals worry about keeping their ability to job poach via labor arbitrage.

[Fred Sanders]

6. Politicians have no business interfering with the private business of labor. They would not dare do

so for corporations but feel free to do so for labor?

Can anyone say "corruption"?