Melanie Trottman
The Wall Street Journal
7/21/2011
Republicans on the House workforce committee passed a bill Thursday that would bar the government from dictating where companies can do business – taking direct aim at the National Labor Relations Board’s complaint that Boeing Co. illegally shifted work from union plants in Washington state to a new nonunion facility in South Carolina.
The Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act is aimed at stopping the NLRB from moving ahead with its complaint, which, if successful, would make Boeing move the production line for the 787 Dreamliner jet to Washington state. The company has said its decision to place the 787 assembly line in South Carolina wasn’t intended to punish union workers in Washington state for past strikes, as the NLRB alleged.
The bill passed the House Education and the Workforce Committee on a 23-16 party-line vote, But it’s unclear when the full House might consider it, and it’s not likely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Republicans say the NLRB, an independent government agency that’s controlled by Obama administration appointees, has gone too far and needs to be stopped with legislation.
