Obama Calls On Boeing, Workers To Resolve Dispute

The Associated Press reports:

President Barack Obama is calling once again for Boeing Co. and its workers to resolve their differences without "wasting a lot of time in court."

Obama was asked about the National Labor Relations Board's lawsuit against the aerospace giant in a KING-TV interview aired Friday night. The president restated an earlier comment that "businesses should be able to locate wherever they want to operate" and have to follow the law.

But Obama noted America is "competing against folks around the world who are after our jobs and our businesses and our market share." He added, "We can't afford to have businesses and their workers arguing instead of coming together to try to produce the best possible products and sell them as aggressively as possible."

The NLRB alleges that Boeing retaliated against its unionized work force in Washington state by opening a new production line for its 787 airplane in South Carolina, which is a right-to-work state. The case could drag on for years.