Politics

S.C. Gov. supports crippling ‘un-American’ NLRB, including resignation of lone GOP member

Matthew Boyle Investigative Reporter
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South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley announced Thursday that she supports calling for the National Labor Relations Board’s only Republican member to resign. If Brian Hayes steps down immediately, she said, the Board wouldn’t be able to assemble the quorum required to take any actions, including its case targeting The Boeing Company.

During a conference call Thursday morning, Haley called the NLRB an “absolutely un-American … rogue agency” with a “bully mentality.”

“I would support anything that would disband the NLRB,” Haley said in response to a question from The Daily Caller asking if she would back calls for Hayes to resign. “The only use that it has is trying to allow the unions to be relevant and they just aren’t. It’s a desperate attempt for them to get attention and they’re doing it the wrong way.”

“I’d be the biggest cheerleader for [getting rid of the NLRB],” Haley added.

A Hayes resignation would cripple the NLRB because a 2010 Supreme Court ruling requires the NLRB to have a three-member quorum before it can make policy.

The suggestion that Hayes should step down popped up in conservative circles earlier this week after outgoing NLRB chairwoman Wilma Liebman, a Democrat, ended her term. Such a proposal is ironic but strategic, as it would halt the Board’s work until either the Senate confirmed another presidential NLRB nominee or President Obama recess-appointed another.

Labor secretary Hilda Solis denounced the idea on Wednesday morning. No Senate Republicans have declared support or opposition for such an idea.

Also, like many trade groups and several other Republicans, Haley said it’s President Obama’s responsibility to step up and stop the NLRB. She said “silence” from Obama doesn’t indicate strong leadership.

“As we are looking at President Obama to give his speech on jobs, the only thing I want to hear from him and the only thing the people of this country want to hear from him, is that he’s going to disband the NLRB or get them to step down from [attacking] a great American company that chose to do business in South Carolina as opposed to going overseas,” Haley said.

The NLRB is suing Boeing as a result of claims from the International Association of Machinists that the airline giant violated labor law by opening a new plant in South Carolina. Boeing contends building there instead of Washington state was not retaliation against the IAM. Boeing has added new jobs in Washington state and no workers there have lost work.

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