WASHINGTON (WACH,AP) -- The National Labor Relations Board has officially dropped its high-profile case challenging Boeing's decision to open a nonunion plant in South Carolina.
The move Friday came after the Machinists union approved a 4-year contract extension with Boeing earlier this week and agreed to withdraw its charge that the company violated labor laws.
Lafe Solomon, the agency's acting general counsel, says settlement is the outcome he had always preferred. The agency settles about 90 percent of its cases.
Under the deal, Boeing promised to build the new version of the 737 in Washington state and the Machinists agreed to drop allegations that Boeing opened the South Carolina plant in retaliation for previous strikes.
Despite intense criticism of the case, Solomon says he was following the law and would do it again.
“The governor believes this is a great win for Boeing and a great win for South Carolina on the defeat of a frivolous lawsuit with no merit,” said Governor Haley's spokesperson Rob Godfrey.
The White House weighing in on today's action said "This was the action of an independent enforcement agency. Our comment on it today is the same as it was before in terms of the case itself. What I will say is what I just did, the President believes in general that labor and management ought to find ways to work together to preserve and create jobs and in this case, we're glad there's a resolution," said White House press secrectary Jay Carney.
(The Associated Press Contributed to this report.)
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