NLRB Threatened With Subpoena Over Boeing Documents

A Congressional committee threatened to subpoena the National Labor Relations Board seeking documents related to a controversial complaint filed by the regulatory agency against aerospace giant Boeing (NYSE: BA).

The NLRB, which oversees labor relations in the U.S. between employers and their workers, accused Boeing in April of violating federal labor laws when the company decided to open a second assembly line for its 787 Dreamliner planes in a non-union plant in South Carolina rather than near its headquarters outside Seattle.

The NLRB claims that Boeing, in violation of federal labor laws, made the move in retaliation for past strikes.

Boeing denies the allegation and critics of the complaint have suggested the move was political, which the NLRB has denied.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by Republican Congressman Darrell Issa, is investigating the complaint and has sought documents related to the decision.

In a letter released Tuesday, the committee said it has received some of the documents sought but is still seeking others that the NLRB has refused to turn over claiming they are confidential and privileged information.

The committee, citing legal precedents, disagrees with that assessment and is now threatening to subpoena the agency for the information.

In a letter to NLRB acting general counsel Lafe Solomon, the committee wrote, in order to fulfill the Committees constitutional obligation to conduct oversight to determine whether the NLRB is properly carrying out its mandate & and in turn, using taxpayer dollars appropriately, the Committee needs all the documents requested.

The NLRB didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.