Judge allows Boeing to keep some records secret in labor dispute

Published 4:10 pm Friday, August 12, 2011

The Boeing Co. will be allowed to keep some information confidential in its case with the National Labor Relations Board, a judge ruled on Friday.

The labor board has sued Boeing, claiming the company illegally retaliated against its Machinists in the Puget Sound region when selecting a secon

d 787 line in South Carolina. The aerospace company denies the allegations.

Boeing had asked for an extensive protective order in the case, which would have kept the public and, at times the Machinists, from accessing what the company considers confidential information in the case.

On Friday, Administrative Law Judge Clifford Anderson issued a protective order for the case. However, Anderson’s order doesn’t go as far as Boeing had requested. Boeing sought to involve a U.S. District Court in determining which materials were kept private.

Anderson has outlined a process for determining which documents are confidential and ultimately will make that determination.