Last month Boeing workers in right-to-work South Carolina overwhelmingly rejected following in their Washington colleagues’ footsteps by unionizing.  The move was a blow to the union, which indicated it expected a win when the votes were counted.

Now some aerospace industry analysts are predicting Boeing’s flagship 787 Dreamliner may soon be built entirely in South Carolina. 

Weaker than expected sales of the 787 could force the company to scale back production, and analysts say if that happens, Boeing will likely consolidate the Everett production line with South Carolina.

As one aerospace analyst noted, the cost of labor and regulatory compliance in South Carolina is significantly less than in Washington: “It’s cheaper to produce 787s in South Carolina.”

One of the reasons South Carolina is cheaper is the state’s limited unionization.  According to an economist with the private research firm Moody's Analytics, “This is an advantage for South Carolina…It [unionizing] would probably erode some of that advantage if they were to change direction now.”

And as the aerospace analyst pointed out, while the South Carolina’s 787 production lines were initially slower than Everett and struggled with some quality control issues as they ramped up, they have caught up and both production lines are moving at a similar rate.

So Boeing can build the same planes, at the same rate and with the same quality, in South Carolina as they can in the more expensive Washington. 

When Boeing first announced its decision to begin building planes in South Carolina, the union and elitists disparaged South Carolina workers as too backwards to do the job.   One dismissed them as a “poorly educated,” “lower-skill work force” that was “unable to compete.” 

Of course, South Carolinians can do the job just as well as their counterparts in Washington, and they certainly can compete.  The decision to reject unionization is evidence of both.  Clearly they understand that changing the business model that helped draw Boeing to their state in the first place is not the way to ensure job security.