Workers at Boeing's Charleston plant vote out union
Former International Association of Machinists (IAM) members at Boeing's 787 plant in Charleston voted yesterday 199-68 in favor of decertification. The IAM represented workers at the Charleston plant for a little less than two years while the plant was operated by Vought Aircraft. A buyout by Boeing paved the way for the decertification vote. The vote officially makes Charleston a non-union plant, which may actually prove an advantage in an upcoming battle between two locations for a new Dreamliner assembly line. Charleston will compete with Boeing Everett for the work, with a decision expected by the end of this year. Vote procedures for decertification include a week-long waiting period to give time to anyone wishing to raise objections. After that the decertification will be officially recognized by the National Labor Relations Board.
See "Workers at Boeing's Charleston plant vote out union", Dominic Gates, The Seattle Times, September 10, 2009