The GOP’s ongoing campaign against the National Labor Relations Board, which is challenging Boeing’s decision to open a new plant in a right-to-work state (South Carolina), might not make for compelling headlines, but it is a crucial element of the Republicans’ renewed focus on job creation and economic growth.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.), a former governor, describes how Tennessee’s right-to-work status helped grow the state’s economy by attracting foreign business and investment, and discusses the dangerous implications of the NLRB challenge, in this week’s Republican address:
As I wrote about last week, Democrats, even those representing right-to-work states, have a different set of priorities:
…A group of GOP senators drafted legislation not only to head off the NLRB’s pending action against Boeing but also to prevent any similar attempts against other companies in the future. But the bill quickly stalled when it became clear that not one of the eleven Senate Democrats representing right-to-work states was willing to stand up to the White House and Big Labor by signing on as cosponsors. Not even Sens. Ben Nelson (D., Neb.) and Bill Nelson (D., Fla.), two moderates from right-to-work states facing tough reelection battles next year, would stick up for their states.
Meanwhile, of the 22 governors in right-to-work states, only two are Democrats. One of them, Mike Beebe of Arkansas, has expressed concern that the NLRB ruling could be “detrimental” to his state’s economic-development efforts. The Boeing saga, he said, “undoubtedly is raising questions about a company’s ability to move plants to different parts of the company for competitive reasons.” In fact, state officials had actively tried to recruit Boeing to build its new 787 Dreamliner plant in Arkansas, using their state’s right-to-work status as a chief selling point.
The other is Gov. Bev Perdue of North Carolina, who not only has failed to denounce the ruling or express concern, but has refused to weigh in at all. Perdue’s press office tells NRO the governor is simply “not engaged on the issue.”
More here.