There’s seldom good news lately when it comes to worker rights and the future of the American workforce. But yesterday there was a bit of good news.

Boeing Co. announced yesterday it would build its dreamliner 737 at its plan in Washington state. The company had threatened union workers in Renton, WA, who had gone on strike in the past, that it was going to take production of the jet to a non-union, lower-waged workforce at a plant in South Carolina. The threat caused a firestorm and the National Labor Relations Board stepped in calling Boeing’s decision a direct attempt to squash workers rights, particularly the right to strike.

Boeing’s turnaround marks an important victory for labor, that has been battered in recent years as jobs, particularly in manufacturing, have hit by cuts in wages, and have been outsourced to lower-cost nations.

“I think the Boeing case is a victory for labor, a small one but still a victory,” said Gary Chaison, professor of industrial relations at Clark University. (more…)