Boeing Workers Vote Against Union Representation

Production workers at Boeing’s South Carolina 787 assembly plant have voted against representation by the IAM union.

The International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) held the vote under the auspices of the National Labor Relations Board. It was open to about 3,000 Boeing employees at the North Charleston facility.

“We’re disappointed the workers at Boeing South Carolina will not yet have the opportunity to see all the benefits that come with union representation” the IAM’s Mike Evans said. “But more than anything, we are disheartened they will have to continue to work under a system that suppresses wages, fosters inconsistency and awards only a chosen few.”

The vote is a victory for Boeing who campaigned hard to fight off unionisation at the South Carolina plant. Workers at Boeing’s other 787 facility in Washington state are already represented by the IAM union.

Under NLRB rules, workers must wait a year before voting again on union representation.