On the recordSeptember 15, 2011
I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I just want to point out and clarify a few points that have been made here this morning. Regarding the Boeing case, this is a clear overreach into the decision of the National Labor Relations Board. The National Labor Relations Act, section 7, establishes the basic right for employees in this country to self-organize, to join, to form, and to assist labor organizations. The Boeing workers have been organized with and by the Machinists Union since the 1970s. There has been a long and good relationship there. The union and the employees at Boeing were trying to exercise their basic section 7 rights. However, the management of Boeing, which is a good company, but clearly in this case the management of Boeing committed an unfair labor practice by threatening the employees that if they exercised their rights under section 7, they would move the work out of Washington, out of Puget Sound, and relocate it down to South Carolina, which they did. The National Labor Relations Board followed the law. This is not a close case. This is the only decision that the board could possibly come up with under the law. We are a nation of laws. You may not like the result, but like it or not, workers in this country have a basic right to join unions. I know that that's not a popular idea lately. However, in this case, I completely support the board's actions. I think they followed the law.…
