More Television Coverage: Boeing South Carolina employee says «We’re fighting back» to keep our jobs
National Right to Work President Mark Mix was interviewed on two Fox Business programs about the Right to Work Foundation’s efforts to help Charleston Boeing employees protect their jobs:
Meanwhile, a local Charleston news station interviewed Dennis Murray, one of the Boeing employees who, with the help of Foundation attorneys, is taking action against the NLRB and union lawyers’ attempt to put Murray and his co-workers out of a job:
South Carolina Boeing Employee Hits Machinist Union with Federal Charge for Illegal Retaliation
South Carolina Boeing Employee Hits Machinist Union with Federal Charge for Illegal Retaliation
Machinist union bosses expelled from workplace trying to eliminate workers’ jobs in retaliation
Washington, DC (June 15, 2011) – A Charleston-area Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) employee has filed a federal unfair labor practice charge against the union behind the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) high-profile case against Boeing. The employee filed the charge with the NLRB regional office in Wilmington, North Carolina on Wednesday with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation.
The charge is in response to the International Association of Machinists (IAM) union and its Local 751 abusing federal labor policy – which is supposedly intended to help workers protect their rights – to bully Boeing for locating a new production line for 787 Dreamliner airplanes in South Carolina, partly because South Carolina is a Right to Work state.
The charge spells out how IAM union bosses are retaliating against the South Carolina employees by abusing the legal process to attempt to eliminate the jobs of over 1,000 Boeing employees in the Charleston area after the workers at the Dreamliner plant expelled the IAM from their workplace before the production line was located there.
The IAM Local 751 union’s charges – which spurred NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon to file a complaint against Boeing – would eliminate over 1,000 existing jobs in South Carolina if successful, not to mention several thousand more jobs that would be created once the Boeing plant reaches full production capacity.
For more information, visit https://www.nrtw.org/boeing.
South Carolina Boeing Employee Hits Machinist Union with Federal Charge for Illegal Retaliation
Washington, DC (June 15, 2011) – A Charleston-area Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) employee has filed a federal unfair labor practice charge against the union behind the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) high-profile case against Boeing. The employee filed the charge with the NLRB regional office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Wednesday with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation.
The charge is in response to the International Association of Machinists (IAM) union and its Local 751 abusing federal labor policy – which is supposedly intended to help workers protect their rights – to bully Boeing for locating a new production line for 787 Dreamliner airplanes in South Carolina, partly because South Carolina is a Right to Work state.
The charge spells out how IAM union bosses are retaliating against the South Carolina employees by abusing the legal process to attempt to eliminate the jobs of over 1,000 Boeing employees in the Charleston area after the workers at the Dreamliner plant expelled the IAM from their workplace before the production line was located there.
The IAM Local 751 union’s charges – which spurred NLRB Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon to file a complaint against Boeing – would eliminate over 1,000 existing jobs in South Carolina if successful, not to mention several thousand more jobs that would be created once the Boeing plant reaches full production capacity.
The workers in Boeing’s South Carolina plant booted IAM union bosses from their plant to help attract the Dreamliner production, as the workers did not want union bosses interfering with their job prospects. The charge against the union points out that if the IAM union hierarchy still had a presence in the South Carolina plant, then the South Carolina workers’ jobs would not be at risk.
«Workers should be free to choose whether or not to affiliate with a union and not have to worry about their jobs as a result,» said Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work. «National Right to Work is proud to stand with the courageous employees as they fight to save their jobs and prevent the devastating effects the IAM union bosses’ and the NLRB’s actions will have on their community and workers across the country.»
National Right to Work Foundation attorneys filed the charge for Boeing employee Dennis Murray, who led the effort to remove the union from the Charleston plant. Foundation attorneys also represent Murray; Cynthia Ramaker, the former president of the IAM local union which was removed from the plant; and employee Meredith Going, Sr. with a motion to intervene in the NLRB’s case against Boeing. The employees’ motion is currently pending appeal with the NLRB in Washington, D.C.
For more information, visit https://www.nrtw.org/boeing.
Obama NLRB to South Carolina Boeing Employees: «You Have No Stake in Your Jobs»
Obama NLRB to South Carolina Boeing Employees: «You Have No Stake in Your Jobs»
National Right to Work Foundation attorneys continue to help workers save their jobs from union boss power grab
Washington, DC (June 9, 2011) – A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Administrative Law Judge in San Francisco denied three Charleston-area Boeing employees’ request to intervene in the NLRB’s high-profile case against Boeing Company (NYSE: BA). The judge also denied the employees’ request to file an amicus curiae brief in the case.
With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, the group of North Charleston Boeing employees whose jobs are in jeopardy sought to have their say in the NLRB’s unprecedented case targeting Boeing for locating production in South Carolina in part due to its popular Right to Work law.
The NLRB’s complaint, if successful, would eliminate over 1,000 existing jobs in South Carolina, not to mention several thousand more jobs that would be created once the Boeing plant reaches full production capacity. Further, the case could set a dangerous precedent that gives union officials a new tool to dictate where job providers locate their facilities.
Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work, issued the following statement in the wake of the judge’s ruling:
"It is unbelievable that the judge bought the General Counsel’s argument that the employees do not have a ‘legitimate direct interest’ in saving their jobs. This is yet another example of a misguided federal labor policy that favors Big Labor and Big Business despite the flowery language about employee rights.
Obama NLRB to South Carolina Boeing Employees: “You Have No Stake in Your Jobs”
Washington, DC (June 9, 2011) – A National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Administrative Law Judge in San Francisco denied three Charleston-area Boeing employees’ request to intervene in the NLRB’s high-profile case against Boeing Company (NYSE: BA). The judge also denied the employees’ request to file an amicus curiae brief in the case.
With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, the group of North Charleston Boeing employees whose jobs are in jeopardy sought to have their say in the NLRB’s unprecedented case targeting Boeing for locating production in South Carolina in part due to its popular Right to Work law.
The NLRB’s complaint, if successful, would eliminate over 1,000 existing jobs in South Carolina, not to mention several thousand more jobs that would be created once the Boeing plant reaches full production capacity. Further, the case could set a dangerous precedent that gives union officials a new tool to dictate where job providers locate their facilities.
Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work, issued the following statement in the wake of the judge’s ruling:
"It is unbelievable that the judge bought the General Counsel’s argument that the employees do not have a ‘legitimate direct interest’ in saving their jobs. This is yet another example of a misguided federal labor policy that favors Big Labor and Big Business despite the flowery language about employee rights.
"The Obama NLRB has no concern for the little guy or America’s working families. They are simply and directly focused on expanding the forced unionism power of the union boss elite.
"The NLRB is poised to set a dangerous precedent that would allow union bosses to dictate to job providers where to locate their jobs, of course, with the aim of avoiding states with Right to Work protections for their workers at all costs and forcing more workers into union-dues-paying ranks.
"Foundation staff attorneys plan to appeal this ruling immediately and continue to explore other legal measures to help these Boeing employees save their jobs and to prevent the devastating effects the NLRB’s actions will have on the Charleston community and the American free enterprise system."
For more information, please visit https://www.nrtw.org/en/boeing.
Worker Advocate: Obama General Counsel Opposition “A Bald-faced Lie of Weiner-esque Proportions”
Worker Advocate: Obama General Counsel Opposition “A Bald-faced Lie of Weiner-esque Proportions”
Machinist union bosses join with NLRB Acting General Counsel to tell workers to “sit down and shut up” about losing their jobs
Washington, DC (June 8, 2011) – Yesterday, Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon, International Association of Machinist (IAM) union lawyers, and Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) attorneys responded to a motion filed by three North Charleston Boeing employees seeking to intervene in the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) case against Boeing.
The North Charleston employees are receiving free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The NLRB’s complaint, if successful, would almost certainly eliminate thousands of jobs in South Carolina, including those of the three Boeing workers represented by Foundation attorneys.
Foundation President Mark Mix released the following statement in response to the Acting General Counsel’s and IAM union lawyers’ opposition to the employees’ motion:
“Acting General Counsel Solomon’s and the IAM union lawyers’ opposition to the Charleston employees’ motion to intervene in the NLRB’s persecution of Boeing is a slap in the face of all independent-minded American workers and citizens who support duly-enacted Right to Work laws in their states that protect employees’ choice over whether or not to financially support a union.
“Solomon’s argument that the South Carolina workers have no stake in the shutdown of the facility in which they are employed is a disingenuous attempt to silence workers whose very livelihoods are in jeopardy. This is a bald-faced lie of Weiner-esque proportions.
Worker Advocate: Obama General Counsel Opposition “A Bald-faced Lie of Weiner-esque Proportions”
Washington, DC (June 8, 2011) – Yesterday, Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon, International Association of Machinist (IAM) union lawyers, and Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) attorneys responded to a motion filed by three North Charleston Boeing employees seeking to intervene in the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) case against Boeing.
The North Charleston employees are receiving free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The NLRB’s complaint, if successful, would almost certainly eliminate thousands of jobs in South Carolina, including those of the three Boeing workers represented by Foundation attorneys.
Foundation President Mark Mix released the following statement in response to the Acting General Counsel’s and IAM union lawyers’ opposition to the employees’ motion:
“Acting General Counsel Solomon’s and the IAM union lawyers’ opposition to the Charleston employees’ motion to intervene in the NLRB’s persecution of Boeing is a slap in the face of all independent-minded American workers and citizens who support duly-enacted Right to Work laws in their states that protect employees’ choice over whether or not to financially support a union.
“Solomon’s argument that the South Carolina workers have no stake in the shutdown of the facility in which they are employed is a disingenuous attempt to silence workers whose very livelihoods are in jeopardy. This is a bald-faced lie of Weiner-esque proportions.
“Essentially, what Solomon and IAM union officials want is for workers to sit down and shut up, even though their jobs are on the line and their rights are at issue.
“The opposition of Solomon and IAM union bosses to these courageous employees’ attempt to save their jobs and their community is just another cynical action by Big Labor and its political cronies to silence independent-minded workers and further empower union bosses to force more workers to submit to union boss demands and forced dues payment.”
In contrast, Boeing attorneys filed a brief supporting the employees’ intervention in the case, observing that “[the intervening employees] have a direct interest in the outcome of the case.”
South Carolina TV Stations Cover Foundation’s Efforts to Protect Boeing Employees from Obama NLRB Attack
On Tuesday, with the assistance of National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a group of Boeing employees moved to intervene to stop the NLRB from shutting down Boeing’s Charleston Dreamliner plant. The Foundation’s announcement made headlines nationwide, including television coverage across South Carolina:
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South Carolina Workers Speak Out Against the NLRB’s Attempt to Shut Down Boeing’s Charleston Dreamliner Plant
Today, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation announced it was providing free legal aid to three South Carolina Boeing Employees, who are moving to intervene in a case brought by the Obama National Labor Relations Board and IAM union bosses that would to shut down production at Boeing’s Charleston Dreamliner facility.
A copy of the Foundation’s motion to intervene includes statements from the three Boeing employees, who explain their negative experiences with IAM union officials and their reasons for speaking out against the NLRB’s attempt to move production of the Boeing Dreamliner back to (non-Right to Work) Washington State.
Dennis Murray, one of the intervenors, describes his history with the IAM before Vought, his old employer, was acquired by Boeing:
"When I went to work at Vought in 2008, the IAM had been voted in as the employees’ exclusive bargaining representative, but they were just negotiating a first contract. In November 2008, an IAM representative called an emergency meeting but only told twelve of the 200 union members in the unit about the meeting. A total of thirteen employees attended the meeting and those few in attendance ratified the IAM’s contract by a vote for 12-1. Many of the provisions of the new IAM contract were worse than what Vought employees already had without a contract. For example, employees lost medical, dental, and short term disability. The Vought employees were then extremely unhappy with the IAM’s actions. This unhappiness was exacerbated by subsequent layoffs that lasted from three weeks to five months."
Like many other Charleston-based Boeing employees, Murray is concerned that he’ll lose his job if the NLRB forces Boeing to move back to Washington:
"It seems clear that many Charleston-based employees and I would lose our jobs with Boeing in South Carolina if the General Counsel’s proposed remedy is adopted. The current unemployment rate here is high and jobs are scarce. If I lose my job, my family will be devastated . . ."
Cynthia Ramaker, another Boeing employee, also encountered the IAM’s backroom dealings before Boeing acquired Vought:
"In general there was not much communication between the IAM and the employees."
"Of the 200 union members in the unit only 13 attended the contract ratification meeting. Those few in attendance ratified the IAM’s contract by vote of 12-1. Many of the provisions of the new IAM contract were worse than what Vought employees already had without a contract . . . Employees lost medical, dental, and short term disability. Additionally, dues were set to increase, although this requirement was later reduced due to the strong backlash in the unit."
Ramaker, a former IAM union official, also opposes the NLRB’s efforts to shut down Dreamliner production:
"I am not surprised by the Unfair Labor Practice filed by the IAM in Seattle/Everett against Boeing. They are violating my right to work with a choice. Isn’t that what being an American is all about?"
Like Murray, she worries about the consequences of shutting down the Boeing facility:
"I understand that the NLRB General Counsel’s remedy in this case will force Boeing to discontinue the final assembly and delivery work in Charleston, and transfer it to Seattle. This remedy is grossly unfair and would devastate our community and thousands of families."
The third intervenor, Meredith Going, Sr., is also concerned about his own job prospects if Boeing is forced to shut down production:
"The current unemployment rate here is high and jobs are scarce. Many people I know would like to work at Boeing if they could. I am 65 years old, and was unemployed for over a year before I got this job with Boeing. Before coming to Boeing, I was laid off from my previous job in the automobile finance business. If I lose my job with Boeing, I’d have to go back on unemployment . . . I am sure that any unemployment I would receive would run out quickly, and at my age getting a good job with good wages and benefits like what I have here with Boeing is extremely difficult."
The statements from these employees give you an idea of what’s at stake here. If the NLRB and the IAM successfully force Boeing to shut down the Dreamliner production line, South Carolina stands to lose over 1,000 existing jobs and thousands more once the plant is in full production.
The NLRB’s unprecedented move would be devastating to these employees and to their entire community, which is why they’ve stepped forward to defend their rights and their jobs.
South Carolina Boeing Employees Move to Intervene in Obama Labor Board’s Assault on Right to Work Laws
South Carolina Boeing Employees Move to Intervene in Obama Labor Board’s Assault on Right to Work Laws
National Right to Work Foundation attorneys helping workers and former Machinist union president challenge attempt to send jobs to Washington
Washington, DC (June 2, 2011) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, a group of Charleston-area Boeing Company employees are asking to intervene in the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) unprecedented case targeting Boeing (NYSE: BA) for locating production in South Carolina in part due to its popular Right to Work law. That law ensures that union dues and membership are strictly voluntary.
The NLRB’s complaint, if successful, would eliminate over 1,000 existing jobs in South Carolina, not to mention several thousand more jobs that would be created once the Boeing plant reaches full production capacity. Further, the case could set a dangerous precedent that allows union bosses to dictate where job providers locate their facilities.
In 2009, Boeing, after experiencing repeated International Association of Machinists (IAM) union boss-instigated strikes in the forced unionism state of Washington, decided to locate a new production line for the 787 Dreamliner to South Carolina, partly because South Carolina is a Right to Work state. IAM union bosses in state of Washington cried foul and filed unfair labor practice charges against Boeing.
The NLRB’s Acting General Counsel Lafe Solomon sided with IAM union bosses and decided to prosecute Boeing in late April. Ironically, workers in Boeing’s South Carolina plant booted IAM union bosses from their plant to attract the Dreamliner production, as the workers did not want union bosses interfering with their job prospects.
Boeing employees Dennis Murray, who led the effort to remove the union from the Charleston plant; Cynthia Ramaker, the former president with the local union which was removed from the plant; and Meredith Going filed their motion to intervene in the case with the NLRB regional office in Seattle, where the NLRB’s case is pending.
To read the employees’ motion to intervene and their personal declarations supporting the motion, click here (pdf).
