‘The Truth About Boeing’s Biggest Labor Union’
October 6, 2011
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An article published this week in TheStreet.com provides a refreshingly enlightened view of the dispute involving Boeing, the IAM and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Unlike conservative publications, bloggers and pundits who continue to vilify the IAM and the NLRB as rogue zealots bent on destroying the free enterprise system, reporter Ted Reed’s article notes the history of cooperation between the IAM and Boeing, including the 11-year effort by the IAM to secure the $100 billion Air Force refueling tanker contract for Boeing.
The article, provocatively titled, “The Truth About Boeing’s Biggest Labor Union” also details IAM efforts in support of the business jet industry, including IAM President Tom Buffenbarger’s recent testimony before the International Trade Commission in support of the industry and the contributions of thousands of IAM members.
It is the article’s accurate treatment of the controversy surrounding the NLRB case, however, that separates it from much of the current media coverage.
In the article, Buffenbarger says the IAM is prepared to battle all the way to the Supreme Court, despite the court’s apparent conservative leanings, the country’s anti-labor climate and the hysteria surrounding the general counsel’s complaint.
“The economy is suffering and people are looking for scapegoats,” said Buffenbarger. “And when Wall Street, corporate America and politicians look for scapegoats, they single out people who are not afraid to speak out and who are not docile, making the labor movement an obvious target.”
Click here to read the full article.
