G’Day!
The Obama Administration and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) continue their anti-business, anti-free market, and pro-union (not pro-labor) socialist attack on the Boeing Corporation and “Right-to-Work” States (see “Attack on American Business by Obama “packed” NLRB!”). The NLRB was originally intended to be an impartial arbiter of labor elections and management/labor disputes, if necessary. Under Obama, the NLRB has become a pro-union activist, anti-business organization and is now hurting job creation in America.
How did we reach the situation where the NRLB apparently defines only “union” jobs as “good” jobs and is willing to support union membership over job creation? During the March 2010 Congressional recess, Obama temporarily “packed” the NLRB by filling 2 of the vacant positions with Craig Becker and Mark Pearce without Senate confirmation. Subsequently Pearce and a Republican nominee, Brian Hayes, were confirmed by voice vote in the Senate in June 2010 but Becker was not. Becker, a union activist and former Associate General Counsel of the AFL-CIO & SEIU, remains a temporary voting board member until the end of 2011. Obama also appointed “Acting” General Counsel, Lafe Solomon, during the same Congressional recess. This currently gives the NLRB a majority of members supporting activist union causes and biases their decisions in favor of “union” jobs and against American business.
The International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union (IAMAWU) are attempting to stop Boeing, America’s #1 exporter, from final implementation of the firm’s new “Dreamliner” factory in Charleston, South Carolina. South Carolina is one of 22 “Right-to-Work” States, which don’t require (or prevent) hiring union workers and account for 7 of the top 10 and 10 of the top 15 in the “2010 Best States for Business” report. To date, Boeing has already invested approximately $1 billion and hired approximately 1000 workers in South Carolina. (Please note: the new workers in South Carolina independently decided to be non-union!) Boeing had $29 billion in exports in 2009 (nearly 2% of our country’s total), directly employs over 160,000 workers, and is indirectly responsible for approximately another 1.2 million jobs.
Boeing is not required to employ union workers in South Carolina or obtain union permission to build a new plant anywhere in the US or the World. However, the history of union disruptions and delays in Washington State could support moving their entire business operation out of Washington State. Boeing has not done this. Instead Boeing is hiring 2000-3000 new union workers in Washington State while adding the new plant in South Carolina. What Boeing has done is to diversify their operations by expanding into a State with a more favorable business environment and reducing their risk of union-motivated business interruptions. Expanding into South Carolina is much better than expanding into South Korea, or Mexico, or China as Boeing could have done. As indicated in the referenced article, this latest attack on business and free markets is another very, very dangerous anti-business precedent being attempted by the unions with NLRB reinforcement to increase both union & government central control over free market business decisions in America. Is anybody in the Obama Administration really interested in economic growth and private-sector job creation in this country?
Not surprisingly, President Obama has been totally silent on this blatantly inappropriate and probably unlawful move by the unions to force private firms to get union approval for the location of business operations throughout our country. This action has now reached the second level in the process where the “Acting” General Counsel, Lafe Solomon, and the NLRB will rule as to the validity of the union’s demands. Given Obama’s bypassing of the Senate confirmation process, the IAMAWU’s complaint is expected to be approved by the “temporary” pro-union membership in the NLRB. The process will then move into the US court system for appeals, probably all the way to the US Supreme Court. This process may take years to resolve and leave Boeing and other US business with even greater operational uncertainty than already exists under the Obama Administration policies. This is another government and union-imposed dagger in the heart of job creation, economic growth, and the free market decision-making process for American businesses. In the interim, what will be the on-going status of the new Boeing plant, US vs. foreign expansion decisions by other companies, and the domestic job growth they could provide?
If this bogus union complaint is allowed to proceed, businesses in the 22 states with “Right-to-Work” laws are in jeopardy of having union membership forced on them and American businesses throughout our country will be clearly encouraged to locate future business operations and jobs overseas. This is likely to be another inappropriate and unnecessary administration-created “slow-motion train wreck” for the stalled economy. How can President Obama, who now claims “jobs” are his most important priority, permit this disaster in our country?
This is just another example that Obama and his policies are increasingly turning our nation into a centrally controlled socialist welfare state. These policies are not the foundation of freedoms upon which our country was created and which made America great. It’s time to take back our country as soon as possible and return to individual liberties, free markets, economic growth, and limited government.
The Old Guy PhD
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