Boeing, labor board enter court

SEATTLE – Boeing on Tuesday asked a judge in Seattle to dismiss a case brought by the National Labor Relations Board that accuses the plane maker of breaking the law when it built a non-union production line in South Carolina.

The complaint by NLRB acting general counsel Lafe Solomon accused Boeing Co. of illegally retaliating against union workers for past strikes by adding a non-union assembly line for its new 787 passenger jet in South Carolina. The NLRB said Boeing also should move that assembly work to unionized plants in Washington state, where other 787s are assembled.

The government’s complaint alleges that company executives made repeated statements to Boeing employees and the media citing the union’s past strike activity and the possibility of future strikes as the overriding factors in deciding to locate a second line in South Carolina.

Lawyers for the NLRB and union have until Tuesday to respond to Boeing’s motion to dismiss the case.