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Posted on 07/13/2011 5:47:57 AM PDT by markomalley
The chairman of a congressional committee investigating the ongoing labor dispute over a South Carolina Boeing plant is prepared to use subpoenas to force labor officials to hand over documents from their investigation, according to a letter sent Tuesday to the National Labor Relations Board's chief attorney.
In the letter to NLRB general counsel Lafe Solomon, Republican U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa of California argues that Congress has the right to supersede attorney-client privilege in gathering information about the communications between the NLRB and Boeing, as well as the union that represents Boeing workers in Washington state.
The NLRB sued Chicago-based Boeing Co. in April, saying the aeronautics giant illegally retaliated against unionized Washington state workers when it opened a 787 passenger jet manufacturing line in South Carolina, a right-to-work state.
Boeing already makes the planes in the Seattle area, and the company hopes more than 1,000 non-union workers will eventually build three of the aircraft per month at the $750 million South Carolina plant, the largest industrial investment in the state's history.
Specifically, Issa asks Solomon to turn over his office's communications about the Boeing case, including any messages with NLRB officials other federal agencies or members of Congress.
Issa says he also wants emails and call logs between the NLRB and Boeing, as well as NLRB's communications with the International Association of Machinists, the union that operates at Boeing's Washington state facilities.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
The guberment needs to get the hell out of the way, ignore the unions and let Boeing build planes in their new plant. Seems they (guberment) only want UNION jobs and nothin else.
It’s all bout paybacks.
I don’t understand why Issa and the committee would warn them that they are going to subpena the records! Just do it. Don’t give them time to hide or destroy documents!
You are beginning to understand how the government accomplishes its incredible record at being so ineffective.
...that Congress has the right to supersede attorney-client privilege in gathering information about the communications between the NLRB and Boeing, as well as the union that represents Boeing workers in Washington state.Am I missing something obvious here?
What attorney-client relationship can possibly exist between the NLRB and either Boeing or the union? While I can understand that there can be attorney-client privilege claimed between each of the three and it lawyers, how can that be expanded to cover communications between the agency, the company, and the union?
I think these decisions were probably made in verbal discussions at those offsite Caribou Coffee meetings.
Sounds to me like Issa COULD be fighting for Boeing’s decision to build a plant in South Carolina.
Well put!
“I think these decisions were probably made in verbal discussions at those offsite Caribou Coffee meetings.”
The NLRB plays the role of "mediator" in the discussions between the union and Boeing. Negotiations are likely considered privileged communications.
(Though see my note above... if the two sides want a mediator, then can go find one on their own instead of being dragged to the table by the government!)
If the Republicans are SERIOUS about this (which I can’t believe they are), they would seriously threaten to defund the NLRB and take their case to the PEOPLE...and win.
NLRB attorney: “The dog ate my Boeing documents, sorry...”
It is worth repeating over and over again: In a time of extremely high unemployment, the Obama administration is suing a company to prevent them from opening a brand new factory.
Absolutely.
Zer0 has made it abundantly clear that the “working families” he talks about mean “union families” and no other kind.
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