House Oversight Panel May Subpoena NLRB for Boeing Documents
A U.S. House committee said it may subpoena the National Labor Relations Board for documents related to a complaint filed against Boeing Co. (BA) for building a non-union aircraft factory in South Carolina.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, led by Representative Darrell Issa, a California Republican, set July 26 for the board to deliver information requested on May 12, or face a possible subpoena, according to a letter obtained today. The board provided some documents and classified some memorandums as confidential, according to the letter.
“Your responses are incomplete,” Issa said in the letter to Lafe Solomon, the acting general counsel at the NLRB.
Republican lawmakers are challenging the agency on the Boeing case, which was filed on April 20 in response to a complaint from the International Association of Machinists. Solomon said Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company, opened the plant for the 787 Dreamliner in retaliation for strikes in Washington state that interrupted production. It’s against the law for employers to punish workers for joining unions or striking.
Issa’s committee asked Solomon in May to provide documents related to his Boeing investigation, including e-mails and call logs between his office, the board and the Machinists union.
Solomon responded to the committee in a May 27 letter that said the requested materials are “privileged,” a claim that Issa in the letter said wasn’t substantiated. Issa said legal arguments Solomon made for withholding the documents didn’t apply to requests from a House committee.
Nancy Cleeland, a spokeswoman for the board, declined to comment.
The NLRB, which investigates unfair labor practices, said Boeing should be required to open an additional assembly line for the Dreamliners in the Seattle area.
To contact the reporter on this story: Stephanie Armour in Washington at sarmour@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Larry Liebert at lliebert@bloomberg.net
Rate this Page