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New Dreamliner rolls out; union in wings?

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. - The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft assembled at the company's South Carolina plant has been delivered.

The company said Tuesday that the stretch version of the standard Dreamliner has been delivered to United Airlines after assembly was completed in January. Test flights were conducted last month.

The aircraft is 20 feet longer and carries more passengers than the standard 787 Dreamliner. It's also the 250th Dreamliner delivered by the company.

Two years ago, workers at Boeing's plant in North Charleston began fabrication and assembly work on the rear and mid-fuselage sections for the first Boeing 787-9.

Those parts were delivered to the Boeing plant in Everett, Washington, for final assembly.

Work on assembling the first 787-9 in South Carolina began last November.

Meanwhile, Gov. Nikki Haley says she will fight attempts to unionize Boeing's massive 787 assembly plant in North Charleston.

The Machinists union on Monday asked the National Labor Relations Board to set an election so about 2,400 production workers at the plant can decide if they want union representation.

Haley said in a statement that South Carolina companies understand the importance of taking care of their workers and that employees do not want a middle man between them and management.

She called it hypocritical that a union that several years ago opposed the South Carolina Boeing plant now says it wants to represent workers in South Carolina.

Haley has strongly opposed unions in a state where only about 4 percent of the workforce is unionized.

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