NLRB withdraws complaint against Boeing

The National Labor Relations Board case against Boeing, which set off a political firestorm when it was filed in April, is officially over, the federal agency’s top lawyer announced moments ago.

Citing the ratification of a deal between Boeing and its largest union Wednesday, Lafe Solomon, acting general counsel of the NLRB, said the complaint had been withdrawn.

“I am pleased that the collective bargaining process has succeeded and that the parties have begun a promising new chapter in their relationship,” Solomon said.

Solomon’s announcement comes just 36 hours after almost three-quarters of Machinists in Washington, Oregon and Kansas approved a four-year contract extension with Boeing. Seventy-four percent voted for the agreement, which promises job security in exchange for employees’ paying more for healthcare.

While the agreement didn’t explicitly reference the pending NLRB case, the union’s Seattle district president promised to tell the NLRB his membership’s grievance against Boeing had been resolved.

The NLRB had alleged the aerospace giant retaliated against the Machinists for past strikes when it decided to build a second 787 Dreamliner production line in right-to-work South Carolina.

Politicians across the country, but especially Palmetto State Republicans, harshly criticized the move as anti-business.