Albertson's, Inc. v. NLRB

Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit·Decided November 10, 1998·No. 97-9509·Published

Opinion

F I L E D

United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit

NOV 10 1998

PUBLISH

PATRICK FISHER

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS Clerk TENTH CIRCUIT

ALBERTSON’S, INCORPORATED, Petitioner, v.

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD,

Respondent, No. 97-9509

UNITED FOOD AND COMMER- CIAL WORKERS UNION, LOCAL 394,

Intervenor.

Appeal from the National Labor Relations Board (No. 18-CA-13715)

Brian Michael Mumaugh (Monique A. Tuttle with him on the briefs), of Holland & Hart LLP, Denver, Colorado, for the Petitioner.

Ana L. Avendano, Attorney (Margaret Gaines Neigus, Supervisory Attorney, and Anne Marie Lofaso, Attorney, with her on the brief), of the National Labor Relations Board, Washington, D.C., for Respondent.

Robert D. Metcalf, Kathryn M. Engdahl, and Connie L. Howard, of Garber & Metcalf, P.A., Minneapolis, Minnesota, on the brief for Intervenor.

Before SEYMOUR, Chief Judge, MCWILLIAMS, Senior Circuit Judge, and MURPHY, Circuit Judge.

SEYMOUR, Chief Judge.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) brought unfair labor practice charges against Albertson’s, Inc. (Albertson’s) under section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), 29 U.S.C. § 158(a)(1). The NLRB’s complaint alleged that Albertson’s engaged in disparate enforcement of its no- solicitation policy against the union representing Albertson’s employees, thereby assisting employees in filing a decertification petition, and engaged in surveillance of employees’ union activities by confiscating and photocopying pro- union materials. After a hearing, an administrative law judge (ALJ) issued a decision and recommended order finding that Albertson’s had committed unfair labor practices. The NLRB adopted the ALJ’s findings of fact, conclusions of law, and recommended order. Albertson’s appeals, contending that the NLRB’s section 8(a)(1) holdings are contrary to law and not supported by substantial evidence, and that the NLRB improperly held the decertification petition tainted by the alleged unfair labor practices. The NLRB has cross-petitioned for enforcement of its order. We affirm and enforce the NLRB’s order.

I.

Albertson’s operates a grocery store in Rapid City, South Dakota, where it engages in the retail sale of groceries and employs approximately 100 people. At all times relevant to this litigation, Albertson’s had the following “no-

solicitation” policy:

Non-employees may not solicit, distribute literature or use sound devices on Company premises at any time.

Employees who are working should not be disturbed, interrupted or disrupted by solicitations or the distribution of literature. Unauthorized presence of any employee in the non-selling areas of the store or in other non-public areas of our facility for any purpose is strictly prohibited unless the employee is on duty, preparing to come on duty, or preparing to leave after having been on duty.

No employee may engage in solicitation of any kind during working time, or while the person(s) he or she is soliciting is on working time. Further, no employee may distribute literature during working time or in working areas (note: working time does not include authorized periods of off-duty times – e.g., meal time, break time, etc.).

Rec., vol. 2, General Counsel’s Ex. 2.

According to the findings of the ALJ, 1 certain Albertson’s employees in the spring of 1994 undertook a union organizing campaign. Employee David Dahl spoke with fellow employees about the union and distributed election authorization cards. In March 1994, store director Dan Yeazel informed Dahl that

1 In stating the facts, we defer to the NLRB’s reasonable findings because the NLRB “is empowered to draw permissible inferences from credible testimony.” NLRB v. L&B Cooling, Inc., 757 F.2d 236, 241 (10th Cir. 1985). As a general rule, we will not disturb the NLRB’s assessment of the credibility of witnesses who testify before it. See International Guards Union of America, Local 69 v. NLRB, 789 F.2d 1465, 1467 (10th Cir. 1986) (citing NLRB v. Montgomery Ward & Co., 429 F.2d 1127 (10th Cir. 1970)).

he was displeased about Dahl’s union organizing activities. When Dahl asked Yeazel’s permission to speak with employees in the break room while they were off the clock, Yeazel refused and suggested that Dahl’s pro-union efforts threatened his status with the company. Albertson’s later reduced Dahl’s hours, resulting in the union’s filing of charges with the NLRB and an eventual private settlement agreement.

In June 1994, the union won a representation election and bargained over the course of the next year with Albertson’s over the terms and conditions of a collective bargaining agreement. During this time, store cashier Diane Pesek, a local union supporter, became a member of the union negotiating committee and attended bargaining sessions. Sometime in 1994, shortly after the election, Pesek attempted to circulate a petition concerning year-round school in Rapid City. Grocery manager John Binger told Pesek that such solicitation on the sales floor or while Pesek was on the clock violated company policy.

In July 1995, cashiers Gary Wehner and Carmel Lefor became dissatisfied with the union’s inability to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement and discussed circulating a decertification petition. Wehner approached Yeazel for information on how to go about decertifying the union and Yeazel gave him the telephone number of the NLRB’s regional office. Wehner also spoke with Christopher Yost, Albertson’s labor relations representative, who apprized him of

the company policy regarding solicitation. Wehner and two others subsequently circulated a decertification petition over a four-day period between July 18 and July 21 and secured 43 signatures, several of which were those of supervisors. Wehner and his colleagues solicited signatures while they were themselves on the clock and solicited others who were on the clock.

It is also clear that several Albertson’s supervisors witnessed and participated in on-the-clock solicitation for the decertification petition. On one occasion, supervisor Randy Stewart witnessed but did not prohibit Wehner from attempting to solicit Pesek’s signature as she stood in line as a customer to buy groceries during a busy period at the store. 2 Pesek testified that the solicitation occurred between 4:30 and 5:00 P.M. and that Stewart was working at a check stand, an indication that the store was busy. On another occasion, Wehner solicited the signature of employee Jerray Bachman in the presence of supervisor Dave Motorude, who also did nothing to stop Wehner. Other supervisors signed the petition while they were working and discussed the petition with other employees who were working. For example, employee Nancy Anderson solicited the signature of liquor store manager Kirk Murphy at approximately 10:00 or 11:00 A.M. while he was waiting on customers. Anderson took over Murphy’s check stand while he went to ask managers Yeazel and Stewart whether he was

2 Pesek was on maternity leave at the time.

allowed to sign the petition. They informed him that he was permitted to sign and suggested that he should take his break and do so.

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