A South Carolina congressman has asked President Barack Obama to intervene in a National Labor Relations Board lawsuit against Boeing.
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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WACH, AP) -- A South Carolina congressman has asked President Barack Obama to intervene in a National Labor Relations Board lawsuit against Boeing.
The Post and Courier of Charleston reports 1st District Rep. Tim Scott spoke with Obama on Wednesday as GOP lawmakers met at the White House to discuss the debt ceiling.
Scott suggested if Obama is interested in growing the economy, the NLRB should stop meddling with right-to-work states like South Carolina. Scott says Obama told him it's a legal matter now and would be challenging for him to weigh in now.
The NLRB has filed a complaint against Boeing saying that choosing South Carolina for a new 787 assembly plant is retaliation against the machinists union in Washington state for past strikes. A hearing is scheduled later this month.
Now, three plant employees want roles in the lawsuit.
Meredith Going Sr., Dennis Murray and Cynthia Ramaker say in a motion filed Wednesday that they are sure to lose their jobs if the federal agency is successful in its suit against Boeing and the plant shuts down.Governor Nikki Haley has called the union complaint “...an absolute assault on a great corporate citizen and on South Carolina’s right-to-work status."
Governor Haley said President Barack Obama owes it to South Carolina and the nation to talk about how he will handle the NLRB challenge to Boeing.
"This goes against everything we know our American economy to be," Haley said. "When a company comes to South Carolina and wants to create jobs they should be able to do that. For the president not to weigh in on this and not to say this is going to be harmful is a problem. Job creation is key in the next few years in this country. What we are doing is telling people not only can you not work in any other state we want you to go overseas. That's what the president is saying by his silence. He's got to speak up."
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson and eight other attorneys general say the complaint isn't based on any factual claims.
The attorneys general say the complaint hinders states' economic recovery from financial crisis. You can read the entire letter here.
What do you think about the accusations against Boeing? Leave a comment below to weigh in.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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