Union vote in S.C. matters here, Machinists leader says
EVERETT — The Machinists union is considering postponing next week’s union vote among Boeing production workers in South Carolina.
While the vote is on the other side of the country, the outcome matters for Machinists in metro Puget Sound, a union leader here says.
Organizing Boeing’s North Charleston plant will make it harder for the company to pit the two workforces against each other, said Jon Holden, head of the union’s District Lodge 751, which represents about 32,000 Boeing workers in metro Puget Sound and Portland.
District 751 sent 16 members to South Carolina to help the organizing campaign.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and its opponents have stepped up their efforts as the vote approaches.
Union spokesman Frank Larkin said Wednesday any decision on postponing the April 22 vote would be “based on the results of the house polling effort that is currently underway to determine levels of support.”
He said no decision has been made but “it is something being considered.” He said there is no timetable for a decision.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20150415/BIZ/150419388#