Sen. Graham says Boeing withdrawal 'hard to celebrate,' vows to continue NLRB holds

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) said Friday it was "hard to celebrate" the National Labor Relations Board's decision to withdraw its case against airplane manufacturer Boeing because it "never should have happened."

And he promised to continue blocking nominations to the controversial panel.

Graham has sharply criticized the NLRB for most of 2011 for its complaint that Boeing built a new plant in his state, a right-to-work state, in retaliation for strikes by unionized workers at its existing facilities in Washington state.

The panel said Friday that it was dropping the complaint because of a deal Boeing and the International Association of Machinists reached earlier this month to build a different type of airplane, the 737 Max, in Washington.

Graham said for the sake of the Boeing South Carolina workers, "I’m pleased to hear the frivolous complaint that has put a cloud over their operations has been lifted.

"However, it’s hard to celebrate an event which never should have happened," he said in a statement released by his office. 

Graham said he was concerned the NLRB's case against Boeing was used to prod the company to make the deal with the IAM union. He called for a congressional investigation into that possibility.

"It would be completely unacceptable for the NLRB, which is supposed to be an independent arbiter, to be used and help in the union’s bidding," Graham said. “If this turns out to be the case, the NLRB would have abandoned its role as an agency that arbitrates disputes and become an advocacy group for union causes. And few things would do more damage to job creation than having a government agency abuse its power and unfairly alter sound decisions made by business.

"A congressional investigation to answer questions about the NLRB’s role, attitude, and relationship with the parties is definitely warranted," he continued.

Graham added that he would continue blocking nominations to the NLRB "until we get satisfactory answers regarding their role in this entire saga. 

"Given its recent actions, the NLRB as inoperable could be considered progress,” he said.

The agency is set to have just two members at the beginning of next year, which would render it in unable to issue rulings.

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