Henrico, VA – Yesterday, the House of Representatives sent legislation to the Senate that would prohibitthe National Labor Relations Board’s attempt to block Boeing from operating a new assembly line in South Carolina, a Right-to-Work State. But despite claiming to support Right-to-Work laws in the past, Chairman Kaine is now standing with President Obama and the NLRB, justifying the lawsuit.
- Wall Street Journal Editorial: “President Obama has so far come down firmly on both sides of the debate over the National Labor Relations Board’s attempt to stop Boeing from building airplanes in South Carolina. A vote in the House yesterday may finally force his hand.”
- “The bill passed 238-186, with eight Democrats joining all but seven Republicans. So few defections shows how much sway Big Labor still carries in Democratic ranks because most Americans favor the right to invest where you want. The bill will now move to the Senate, where Democrats may be able to filibuster it—but at some political cost.” (WSJ, 9/16/11)
- Kaine Campaign: “The current NLRB case isn’t about the right to locate anywhere, it’s about the narrow question of whether Boeing is acting specifically to retaliate against its own employees.” (Richmond Times Dispatch, 6/29/11)
And when President Obama spoke at a union rally on Labor Day and described Right-to-Work laws as the “right to work for less and less and less,” his former hand-picked head of the Democratic National Committee was silent.
- President Obama: “So when I hear some of these folks trying to take collective bargaining rights away, trying to pass so-called “right to work” laws for private sector workers — that really mean the right to work for less and less and less — when I hear some of this talk I know this is not about economics. This is about politics.” (President Obama’s Labor Day Speech in Detroit, 9/5/11)
That’s not surprising since Chairman Kaine has a long history of standing with President Obama and his union allies as head of the DNC and as a candidate for U.S. Senate, refusing to comment on the NLRB issue until after the President weighed in.
- NY Times: “The political efforts on behalf of the union workers in Wisconsin were undertaken at the direction of Tim Kaine, the D.N.C. chairman, according to officials at the party.” (NY Times, 2/18/11)
- Washington Post: “On the same day President Obama was asked about the National Labor Relations Board’s lawsuit against Boeing, his close friend and political ally, former Virginia governor Timothy M. Kaine (D), also weighed in for the first time on the controversial dispute.” (Washington Post, 6/29/11)
“Does Chairman Kaine stand with the people of Virginia or his union allies in Washington?” asked Bill Riggs, Allen campaign spokesman. “George Allen believes the NLRB’s lawsuit undermines the competitive advantage of Virginia and all Right-to-Work States, and amounts to an assault on the freedom of movement of every American. Chairman Kaine should join George Allen and support this legislation to protect jobs and Virginia’s competitiveness.”
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