Oregon Public Broadcasting

The right-to-strike could become a key issue as Boeing decides whether to send its next assembly-line out of Washington state.

A key Northwest labor leader says he would be “extremely surprised” if Boeing workers promise not to walk off the job.

Rick Bender with the Washington State Labor Council is reacting to a Seattle Times story Wednesday. It says Boeing will move its Dreamliner assembly line out of state unless the Machinists Union signs a no-strike agreement.

Rick Bender: “I can speak for most of labor and say that's something that we would probably never do. Because it's the only tool we have when it gets down to crunch time if the employer is not bargaining in good faith or he's asking for demands that are totally outrageous that negatively or adversely impact our members.”

Last year, Boeing's Machinists Union went on strike for 57 days. The labor shutdown cost Boeing billions of dollars.

This week the aerospace giant announced it's buying a South Carolina plant that assembles key sections of the 787 Dreamliner.

Boeing expects to decide later this year where it will build a second Dreamliner assembly line. The first line is in Everett, WA.