Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney joined the GOP’s latest anti-union salvo — reining in the National Labor Relations Board — at an event in South Carolina Monday.
Romney, and his latest high-profile supporter Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, toured Boeing’s new manufacturing plant in North Charleston. The NLRB is suing Boeing for moving an operation to South Carolina, a right-to-work state, from Washington state after unions protested there.
The NLRB slapped Boeing with a suit, arguing it was illegally retaliating against unions in Washington state. In the wake of the suit, Republicans have rushed to Boeing’s aid, arguing that the NLRB as an extension of the Obama administration is penalizing business and hampering job growth in the midst of the nation’s ongoing economic crisis.
In brief remarks after the tour, the Post-Courier reported, Romney accused Obama of putting “labor stooges on the NLRB to pursue a political payback strategy.”
It was Romney’s first campaign appearance in South Carolina since officially declaring his candidacy. He is scheduled to head to Florida Monday night for the CNN-Tea Party debate of GOP presidential hopefuls.
Meanwhile, House Republicans plan to vote on a bill later this week that would curtail the NLRB’s power by prohibiting the labor board from ordering a company not to retaliation against union activities by relocating its employment or even part of its operations.
As punishment for violating labor laws, the NLRB could force Boeing to move its plant back to Washington state, although agency officials said that demand is only where legal negotiations will begin not where they are likely to end up.
Rep. Tim Scott (R-SC), who represents the district where Boeing opened the plant, appeared alongside House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) at a briefing with reporters Monday to tout the bill.
Scott called the NLRB’s action against Boeing “another example of class warfare” and accused the agency of creating a “job-killing environment.”
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