Boeing workers vote for 'micro-union' at South Carolina plant
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (Reuters) - A small group of workers at Boeing Cos (BA.N) South Carolina jetliner factory voted Thursday to unionize but the planemaker announced it would challenge the legality of the bargaining unit.
The 104-65 vote to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers comes one year after Boeing defeated a high-profile and much broader union drive in a state where the laws do not favor organized labor.
The vote also comes a few months after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) made it tougher for workers to form unions made up of small groups of employees, reversing an Obama-era decision that had been criticized by businesses.
The South Carolina flight readiness technicians at Boeing have spoken loud and clear, Bob Martinez, president of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said in a statement Thursday. I am asking Boeing to respect their freedom to choose and not retaliate against them for expressing their rights.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-boeing-union/boeing-workers-vote-for-micro-union-at-south-carolina-plant-idUSKCN1IW1DH