Marathon Pundit: Two newspapers sound off on NLRB overreach in Boeing case

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Two newspapers sound off on NLRB overreach in Boeing case

Last week the Obama-directed National Labor Relations Board dreamed up a law that could prevent Boeing from building its new 787 jet in South Carolina, a right-to-work state, instead of unionized Washington.

First the Seattle Times:

It was a blow to Puget Sound country when Boeing put its second 787 assembly line in South Carolina. It was also part of a hardball negotiation between the company and the International Association of Machinists. This page regretted Boeing's decision, but has never thought of it as something that could be, or should be, reversed by the federal government.

The National Labor Relations Board has labeled Boeing's decision an unfair labor practice, and is asking a federal court to order the line to be moved to Washington. We would celebrate the day Boeing decided to do that — but it is Boeing's decision.

The company and the union are both grown-ups here. Each knows its rights.

The union has a right to strike. It may be unwise to strike at a particular time, such as the month Wall Street had its worst collapse in 75 years, but it is the union's right.

The company has the right to build assembly plants. It can build them in South Carolina or in Afghanistan if it likes. Its decision may be unwise, but it is Boeing's.

And now the Chicago Tribune:

Boeing, the Chicago-based aviation company, already has one government-induced headache. Its main rival, Airbus SAS, has received from European nations about $20 billion in subsidies that are prohibited by international trade agreements. That is challenging enough for Boeing as it tries to compete in an international market.

But when the U.S. government tries to dictate where Boeing can do business … that's even harder to stomach.