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Critics of Boeing lawsuit slam Obama Commerce secretary pick
Critics of the National Labor Relations Board's (NLRB) lawsuit against airplane manufacturer Boeing denounced President Obama's choice of a member of the airline's board of directors to be secretary of Commerce.
On Tuesday, Obama tapped businessman John Bryson to replace outgoing Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, whom Obama nominated to be ambassador to China. Locke is replacing former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman (R), who is anticipated to make a run for the 2012 GOP nomination to challenge Obama next year.
Bryson, 67, is a member of the board of directors of Boeing, which the NLRB has sued for allegedly retaliating against strikes by unions in its home of Washington state by planning to open a plant to build more 787s in South Carolina. Boeing has currently been building 787-model airplanes at its unionized plant near Seattle, but South Carolina is a “right to work” state, where employers are not obliged to join a union.
The conservative Workforce Fairness Institute (WFI) said Monday afternoon that Boeing's decision must be OK if Obama thinks a member of its board of directors should be in his Cabinet.
“Weeks after the National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against Boeing for building a facility in South Carolina, President Obama has decided to name a member of the company’s board as a nominee to his Cabinet," WFI spokesman Fred Wszolek said in a statement. "This comes on the heels of disclosures showing Bill Daley, the White House chief of staff, was also working with Boeing when the company decided to set up shop in a right-to-work state in order to meet demand for their 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
“President Obama has a choice to make: Either stop hiring individuals from a company his regulatory agency believes violated federal labor law, or tell Lafe Solomon to cease action against Boeing," Wszolek continued.
The lawsuit has infuriated South Carolina Republicans and become a rallying cry for GOP presidential candidates hoping to curry favor with them in the state's early 2012 primary.
Bryson will need to be confirmed by the Senate.
