Senator Scott Statement on IAM Vote

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) released the following statement after employees in South Carolina’s Boeing facilitiesvoted againstunionizing:

“I am pleased to see that the hardworking men and women of Boeing voted against unionization today. I will be very direct: South Carolina is the best state in the nation to do business. The explosion of high-tech manufacturing, bringing companies like BMW, Michelin, Boeing and countless suppliers to our state, shows the nation and the world are taking notice. Our population growth and the emergence of our nationally recognized apprenticeship program solidify our position.

Now-Ambassador Haley did a fantastic job creating an atmosphere conducive to growth, from our regulatory environment to our tax system, and I’m sure that trend will continue. Our state’s right-to-work laws are a major selling point for companies looking to bring hundreds and thousands of jobs to South Carolina. As a former Chairman of Charleston County Council who worked on multiple projects to bring jobs to the Lowcountry and our state, I cannot overstate the importance of that last point.

However, out-of-state unions, who have undermined and criticized the credibility of South Carolina workers, have continually tried to tear down South Carolina’s successes, and in some cases move jobs already in place in South Carolina elsewhere.

We never saw this more fully than when the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) union, bitter that Boeing had chosen to open a new production facility in North Charleston instead of their stronghold in Seattle because of the benefits I wrote about above, filed a complaint with the NLRB to try and destroy the thousand plus jobs already created here in South Carolina. IAM first tried to claim that we would never be able to build airplanes in South Carolina, and then realized they did not want to face the competition from our well-educated, highly trained workforce and the advantages they gain from being employed in a right-to-work state. And as we all know, the IAM has now attempted to co-opt the success of South Carolina, which they said would never happen in the first place, to benefit their agenda.

Let me make one thing clear: I do not begrudge anyone the right to join or create a union if they so choose, as that right is protected by the founding documents of our great nation. But it is essential to note that South Carolina’s right-to-work laws and laser focus on job creation have led to amazing growth in our state’s economy over the past decade, and provided incredible new opportunities for South Carolinians to succeed.”