American Steel Foundries v. National Labor Relations Board

158 F.2d 896, 19 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2185, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 3020
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedDecember 28, 1946
DocketNo. 9138
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 158 F.2d 896 (American Steel Foundries v. National Labor Relations Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
American Steel Foundries v. National Labor Relations Board, 158 F.2d 896, 19 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2185, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 3020 (7th Cir. 1946).

Opinion

MINTON, Circuit Judge.

The petitioner, American Steel Foundries, seeks the review of an order of the National Labor Relations Board. The Board found that the petitioner had violated Sections 8(1) and (3) of the National Labor Relations Act1 in the discharge of two supervisory personnel, Tamburo and Nansen, because of their activities in and about the organization and support of a chapter of the Foreman’s Association of America, an unaffiliated union for supervisory personnel only. The usual order to cease and desist was entered by the Board, and the petitioner was ordered further to offer Tamburo and Nansen restoration to their former positions and to make them whole for the loss of any pay they suffered because of their discharge. The Board has asked enforcement of its order.

Two questions are presented. First, since Tamburo and Nansen are supervisory personnel, are they “employees” within the meaning of the Act and entitled to the protection of the Act? Secondly, if they are “employees” entitled to such protection, is there substantial evidence in the record to support the Board’s findings that they were discharged because of their union membership and activities? We answer both questions in the affirmative.

Section 2 of the Act, (49 Stat. 449, 450, 29 U.S.C.A. 152) defines “employer” and “employee.” The material parts of the Section provide as follows:

“When used in this Act— * * *
“(2) The term ‘employer’ includes any person acting in the interest of an employer, directly or indirectly * * * ,
“(3) The term ‘employee’ shall include any employee, and shall not be limited to the employees of a particular employer * jje * H

At the time of the discharges, Tamburo was a foreman in the chipping department; Nansen was chief departmental clerk in the timekeeping department, immediately tinder the works auditor, McKnight. Neither was policy making personnel, nor had either any authority to hire or fire. They saw to it that orders from [898]*898policy makers above them were carried out. They were both very low in the hierarchy of .supervisory personnel.

The petitioner argues that since Tamburo and Nansen were supervisory personnel, they, in the terms of Section 2(2) of the statute, acted in the interest of the employer and were by the definition of the statute to be considered as in the employer status and could not be employees. This proves too much. Every person in the petitioner’s employ acts in the interest of the employer. The a'ct of the lowliest employee if done in the course of his employment may bind the employer. We think the statute meant that only the personnel that acted in the interest of the employer in matters envisaged by the Act would be considered to be in the employer status. Whenever a supervisory worker, whether high or low in the managerial hierarchy, acts in the interests of the employer, that is, carries out the employer’s known policy toward the organizational activities of its workers, as for instance in opposition to unionization in general or in favor of a company union, such supervisory worker may take on the complexion of his employer. International Association of Machinists v. National Labor Relations Board, 311 U. S. 72, 80, 81, 61 S.Ct. 83, 85 L. Ed. 50; H. J. Heinz Co. v. National Labor Relations Board, 311 U. S. 514, 520, 61 S.Ct. 320, 85 L.Ed. 309; R. R. Donnelley Co. v. National Labor Relations Board, 7 Cir., 156 F.2d 416, 420. Such conduct of a supervisory worker does not mean that he has lost his status as an employee. It means only that the conquences of his acts may be visited upon his employer, and in that sense only does such worker occupy an employer status. The statute defining an “employee” is broad enough to cover every type of personnel, supervisory or otherwise. The statute does not limit the term. We know of no case, and none has been cited, where it has been .held that supervisory personnel are not employees within the meaning of the Act and not entitled to all of the benefits therein conferred upon an employee.

In the very recent case of National Labor Relations Board v. Packard Motor Car Co., 157 F.2d 80, the Sixth Circuit held that foremen, higher in the hierarchy of supervisory personnel than the parties in the instant cause, were employees within the meaning of and entitled to the protection of the Act. Judge Allen, speaking for the court, reviewed the authorities and concluded (157 F.2d at page 85) :

“ * * * that the foreman, although he is part of the front line of management in his obligation to get out the work, to negotiate grievances and to perform the manifold responsibilities heretofore described more fully, in his relationship to his employer with reference to his own wages and conditions of labor is an employee, entitled to the benefits of section 157.”

We accept the able opinion of Judge Allen and the Sixth Circuit and hold that Tamburo and Nansen, although foremen, were employees within the meaning of the-Act- and entitled to the protection thereof.

As to the second question: Is there substantial evidence that Tamburo and Nansen were fired because of their union membership and activities ?

Tamburo first entered the petitioner’s employ in 1921 as a laborer in the chipping department. In 1924 he became a chipper and worked until 1926, when he quit. In 1934 he returned to work for the petitioner in the same department, and in 1941 he was promoted to foreman. In 1942 he was made an instructor of chippers, a position which he held until July 1943 when he was returned to the position of foreman. There was some evidence that Tamburo had been appointed an instructor because as a foreman he did not get along at all times with the men under his supervision. However, when he was relieved as an instructor, he was again made a foreman, in another department, where he worked until discharged on November 11, 1943.

On October 10, 1943 Tamburo was elected chairman of a committee of the union selected for the purpose of negotiating with the petitioner. The secretary of the committee was one Conlin. As such representatives of the union, Tamburo and Conlin on October 11 called on the works manager and his assistant to request a meeting between representatives of the petitioner and the union to discuss recognition of the union as bargaining representative of the supervisory [899]*899employees. The petitioner never granted the conference. On November 9 at the request of the union Tamburo attempted to discuss a grievance of one Slankowski with the petitioner’s assistant works manager, who declined to recognize him as a union representative or to discuss the grievance with him.. On November 10, 1943 Tamburo made a second inquiry about a meeting with the union and was rebuffed again. Later that day he informed the works manager’s office that the next day at 3 P.M. the foremen would call in a body to discuss recognition of the union. At 2 P. M. November 11, 1943 Tamburo was discharged. No reason therefor was given. Conlin had previously been demoted and had quit.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Angwell Curtain Co. v. National Labor Relations Board
192 F.2d 899 (Seventh Circuit, 1951)
Correa Torres v. Sociedad Mario Mercado e Hijos
72 P.R. 77 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1951)
Tulier Olivera v. Puerto Rico Land Authority
70 P.R. 249 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1949)
Tulier Olivera v. Autoridad de Tierras de Puerto Rico
70 P.R. Dec. 267 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1949)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
158 F.2d 896, 19 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2185, 1946 U.S. App. LEXIS 3020, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/american-steel-foundries-v-national-labor-relations-board-ca7-1946.