1. Alabama is a wonderfully free "right-to-work" state, which simply means it prevents unions from extracting dues from workers who do not wish to join.
2. General Electric's CEO Jeff Immelt is the poster-boy for crony capitalism, having backed Obama's rush to socialized medicine and green energy to benefit various of its business units.
3. It turns out that GE's Aviation division is breaking ground on a new factory in Alabama. And, unlike Boeing, which tried to build a factory in a right-to-work-state, the National Labor Relations Board hasn't uttered a peep. But I'm sure that's just a coincidence.
Remember the Boeing case?[The NRLB] wants to stop the Boeing Corporation from using its new aircraft manufacturing plant in South Carolina. Construction began in November 2009 and is almost complete... [It] has charged that Boeing's decision to build a new plant in [right-to-work] South Carolina-to expand production of its Dreamliner 787-was made in retaliation for strikes at its Everett, Washington plant...
...If Boeing is penalized from locating where costs are lowest and production most reliable, then many other companies will be charged.
The NLRB wants Boeing to build all its Dreamliners in Washington State, which is not a right-to-work state.
If I were a more cynical man, I would think that this is yet another example of crony capitalism and big government at its very worst. Companies rewarded and punished by regulators based upon crass partisan hackery. Somewhere, Richard Nixon is smiling.
The fact that Obama-friendly GE is building a plant in Alabama without a whisper of a complaint from the NLRB while Boeing is challenged at every turn must be a coincidence. It simply must be.
I wonder what it will take to change things? The Henry Bowman approach? This runaway-freight-train of unaccountable BS has got to stop somewhere.
ReplyDeleteOf course it is just a coincidence. It was just a coincidence that Obama put Jeff Immelt, net job killer or perhaps I should say net job exporter to be chairman of his jobs commission. However, if the unions start to complain about GE's right to work factory, it just might get very interesting.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of runaway freight trains, General Electric announced that they're shifting production of their locomotives from their Erie, PA facility to right-to-work Ft. Worth Texas.
ReplyDeleteThat was back in May- apparently the head of GE's locomotive division said that a site in Mexico was considered, the rejected to save Immelt from "
the potential embarrassment of having the facility go south of the border while he serves as chairman of President Barack Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness." http://x.vu/229264
That was back in May. Last month, GE announced a second, seperate plant in Ft. Worth that would make mining equipment.
Not word one from the NLRB regarding that
Except that Boeing is an Obama favorite, too. They are HQ'ed in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteThe whole NLRB thing is a kabuki dance. Eventually it will be settled in Boeing's favor. It is not aimed at Boeing so much as it is at Boeing's smaller competitors. The message to them is go along to get along because you cannot afford to fight this type of decision the way Boeing can. Boeing is willing to take a hit up front to force competitors to locate in higher-cost blue states.
Keep in mind that the NLRB will wait until the factory is almost complete and the workers trained to screw the company over the most.
ReplyDeleteObviously, Boeing needs to guy a broadcaster.
ReplyDeleteThe conclusion that I take from this is that partisans of both left and right forget the "Sideshow Bob Effect" named after the character from The Simpsons who during a show aired during the first Bush Presidency shouted, "You can't keep a Democrat out of the White House forever and then I'll be back" as he was being dragged off to jail.
ReplyDeleteI predict that as soon as there is another Republican in the White House, there will be a stampede of factories moving to Right To Work states in order to be beyond the reach of the NLRB the next time a Democrat gets back in.
Did Gibson Guitar ever get its wood back?
ReplyDelete.
Actually, GE Aviation left Ohio for right-to-work North Carolina in the nineties. Most engine work is done in Wilmington.
ReplyDelete...and what plane will they build? The Obamaliner? One wing, perpendicular landing gear and a trillion dollars over budget?
ReplyDeleteAnd Ge will take all of its work out of its Greenville, S.C. avaition plant and send it to Alabama and these other new plants. While not doing anything for the employees at said plant and say to heck with S.C.
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