Oklahoman: Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt joins other AGs in protesting agency action
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May 05, 2011
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt joins other AGs in protesting agency action
Attorneys general object to National Labor Relations Board lawsuit against Boeing Co.FROM STAFF REPORTS 0
Published: May 5, 2011
Oklahoma Attorney Gen. Scott Pruitt has joined other attorneys general in voicing opposition to a lawsuit by the National Labor Relations Board against Boeing Co.In a letter to the National Labor Relations Board, the eight state attorneys general called the agency’s action against Boeing “an assault on the constitutional right of free speech” and an assault on each state’s ability to attract business and create jobs.
The board filed a discrimination lawsuit in late April, claiming Boeing made statements that it was opening a new plant in South Carolina for expanded production of 747s merely to avoid union-led strikes similar to what it faced in Washington state, in violation of the National Labor Relations Act. The board claimed Boeing was motivated by a “desire to retaliate for past strikes and chill future strike activity,” and that its statements were “coercive to employees.” South Carolina, like Oklahoma, is a right-to-work state where union affiliation cannot be required to be employed.
“This action by the federal government is unprecedented,” Pruitt said. “Several states, including Oklahoma, passed right-to-work laws to help attract businesses and create jobs for our workers.”
The labor board has requested a court order forcing Boeing to build the Dreamliner assembly plant in the Pacific Northwest.
“This complaint disrupts, and may well eliminate, the production of Boeing 787 Dreamliners in South Carolina,” the attorneys general wrote. “We will protect our citizens from union bullying and federal coercion.”
An administrative judge is scheduled to hear the NLRB’s request in June.
