WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s pick to head the Commerce Department is criticizing a federal lawsuit against the Boeing Co. over the aerospace giant’s decision to locate a new plant in South Carolina.
The nominee, John Bryson, is on Boeing’s board.
The National Labor Relations Board has accused Boeing of picking South Carolina in retaliation against union workers in Washington state, who went on strike in 2008.
At a confirmation hearing for Bryson’s nomination on Tuesday, Republican senators complained about the NLRB suit. Bryson said the suit was wrong and he said Boeing officials believed they were doing the right thing when they picked South Carolina for their assembly line.
The NLRB, dominated by Democrats, wants the work relocated to Washington state. The South Carolina plant opened this month.
