Obama says US companies need freedom to relocate

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says it would defy common sense for Boeing Co. to have to shut down a new aircraft plant or lay off workers as a result of a labor dispute with the government.

Obama says companies need to have the freedom to relocate work, though they must follow the law when doing so.

The president was responding to a question about a lawsuit filed by the National Labor Relations Board against Boeing, accusing the aerospace company of illegally retaliating against its unionized work force in Washington state by opening a new production line for its 787 airplane in South Carolina, a right-to-work state.

Obama says the case was brought by an independent agency and a judge would decide the facts.