There will be no election, at least this month.
The machinists union on Friday asked the National Labor Relations Board to cancel an April 22 union election scheduled at Boeing Co.'s South Carolina assembly plant in North Charleston.
In a statement on its website, the International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM) cited a "toxic environment and gross violations of workers' lawful organizing rights" as the reason behind the decision.
“After speaking with Boeing workers who we were previously unable to reach, we’ve determined now is not the right time for an election,” said lead IAM organizer Mike Evans in the statement. “An atmosphere of threats, harassment and unprecedented political interference has intimidated workers to the point we don’t believe a free and fair election is possible.”
"The IAM's allegations are ridiculous," company spokeswoman Candy Eslinger told the Associated Press. "We've taken a very transparent approach to informing our teammates and the community about what it means to be represented by the IAM. We have provided factual information backed up by data throughout this entire process."
The petition for a union election was filed in mid-March. It was filed in response to a "significant" number of Boeing (IW 500/13) workers who expressed interest in union representation and signed authorization cards, according to the IAM.
Friday's decision postpones the date for any subsequent election by at least six months, the IAM said.
