CHARLESTON, S.C. — Some employees at Boeing’s plant in South Carolina will soon vote on whether they want to join the International Association of Machinists union.
The National Labor Relations Board ruled Monday that 178 flight readiness technicians and inspectors at the manufacturer’s North Charleston plant can vote on whether to join the union. Balloting is scheduled for May 31.
According to local media outlets, Boeing has said that it will appeal the ruling, arguing that the smaller group is too hard to set different rules for and that any union vote should include all 3,000 production employees.
The larger group rejected unionization by a three to one margin last year. According to the union, the smaller group has different duties and should be allowed to vote separately.
The Machinists, the country’s largest aerospace union, already represents more than 35,000 Boeing employees at 24 locations nationwide.
