The Breakdown: Can the Government Protect Boeing’s Workers?

The Breakdown: Can the Government Protect Boeing’s Workers?

The Breakdown: Can the Government Protect Boeing’s Workers?

Boeing’s workers allege that the company unfairly retaliated against them for exercising their statutory right to go on strike and collectively bargain—what can the National Labor Relations Board legally do about it?

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

Boeing’s workers allege that the company retaliated against them for exercising their statutory right to go on strike and collectively bargain—what can the National Labor Relations Board do about it?

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently filed a complaint against Boeing for allegedly retaliating against its workers in Washington state for exercising their statutory right to go on strike and collectively bargain. Since then, right-wing pundits and politicians, outraged by the complaint, have attempted to undermine the NLRB’s authority. Jim DeMint, saying the NLRB “smacks of a Third World-type dictatorship,” is leading a pack of several Republicans in the Senate who have put forth a bill that would bar the NLRB from fulfilling its Congressional mandate to ensure a level playing field for workers and businesses. On this week’s edition of The Breakdown, labor law expert Catherine Fisk joins DC editor Chris Hayes to discuss the circumstances in the Boeing case and counter the persistent misinformation about what the NLRB is legally authorized to do to ensure fairness in the workplace.

Further Reading:
Media Matters report on misinformation in the coverage of the Boeing case.

Subscribe to The Breakdown on iTunes to listen to fresh takes on the confusing concepts that make politics, economics and government tick. A new episode every week!

Become a Sustaining Donor This September

Between the reemergence of right-wing red-baiting and Donald Trump’s use of the chilling National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 to criminalize left political organizing, we’re seeing McCarthyism reborn before our eyes.

This assault on democracy cannot be ignored or wished away. Resisting it requires bravery in the face of threats and repression, a steadfast commitment to the truth, and the unwavering belief that we can—and will—overcome this darkness.

We must have an independent media that sets the record straight, unearths corruption and abuses of power, and advances a politics of justice and dignity for all if we’re to win this fight.

That’s why I’m writing to you today. This September, The Nation needs to add 100 monthly donors to sustain our progressive journalism. Your contribution makes the next investigative report, the next truth-speaking column, and the next pathbreaking essay all possible. 

I hope you’ll support our work with a recurring donation today. If you donate $10 or more a month, we’ll send you a brand new “Hands Off the Free Press!” sticker to recognise your commitment to our cause. Please, donate today. 

Onward,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x