Batkowski v. Commonwealth, Unemployment Compensation Board of Review

491 A.2d 953, 89 Pa. Commw. 51, 1985 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1027
CourtCommonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 30, 1985
DocketAppeals, Nos. 48 C.D. 1984, 49 C.D. 1984, and 50 C.D. 1984
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 491 A.2d 953 (Batkowski v. Commonwealth, Unemployment Compensation Board of Review) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Batkowski v. Commonwealth, Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 491 A.2d 953, 89 Pa. Commw. 51, 1985 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1027 (Pa. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge Palladino,

Petitioners in these consolidated appeals are token unemployment compensation claimants who represent the members of the United Auto Workers, AFL-CIO Local 787 (Union). In its decision below, the Unemployment Compensation Board of Review (Board) affirmed a referee’s decision denying benefits under Section 402(d) of the Unemployment Compensation Law (Law),1 concluding that Petitioners’ unemployment was due to a strike, rather than a lock-out by Avco Lycoming Division of Avco Corporation (Employer).2

The relevant facts, as found by the referee and adopted by the Board, are as follows. The Employer and the Union were parties to a collective bargaining agreement which expired on June 17, 1983. After negotiations failed to produce a new agreement, the Union commenced a work stoppage at 12:01 A.M. on June 18, 1983. At the time of the commencement of the work stoppage, work was available to Union members under the preexisting terms and conditions of [54]*54employment. Petitioners neither reported nor attempted to report to work subsequent to commencement of the work stoppage.

Petitioners applied for unemployment compensation as token representatives of all members of the Union.3 The Office of Employment Security (OES) found that Petitioners’ unemployment was due to a work .stoppage which existed because of a labor dispute other than a lock-out and denied benefits under §402(d). After a hearing on appeal, the referee affirmed OES’s determination. The Board affirmed the referee’s decision.

“A claimant whose employment has been interrupted by a work stoppage arising out of a labor dispute bears the burden of proving that the stoppage resulted from a lockout.” McCormick Dray Lines v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 74 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 181, 184, 459 A.2d 74, 76 (1983). Where the party with the burden of proof does not prevail before the Board, our scope of review' is limited to determining whether the Board’s findings of fact are consistent with each other and with the conclusions of law and can be sustained without a capricious disregard of competent evidence. Pennsylvania State Police v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 79 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 46, 468 A.2d 533 (1983). The question of whether a work stoppage is a strike or a lock-out is a mixed question of fact and law, Philco Corporation v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 430 Pa. 101, 242 A.2d 454 (1968), and therefore reviewable by this Court.

Before this Court Petitioners contend: (1) that the Board capriciously disregarded competent evidence in [55]*55failing to find that both before and after commencement of the work stoppage, the Union offered and the Employer refused to continue working under the preexisting terms and conditions of employment; and (2) that the Board erred as a matter of law in determining that their unemployment was the result of a strike and not a lock-out.

Under §402(d) of the Law, an employee is ineligible for unemployment compensation for any week “ [i]n which his unemployment is due to a stoppage of work, which exists because of a labor dispute (other than a lock-out) at the factory, establishment or other premises at which he is or was last employed. ’ ’

The well-established test for determining whether a work stoppage is the result of a lock-out or a strike was set forth by our Supreme Court in Vrotney Unemployment Compensation Case, 400 Pa. 440, 163 A.2d 91 (1960), as follows:

Have the employees offered to continue working for a reasonable time under the preexisting terms and conditions of employment so as to avert a work stoppage pending the final settlement of the contract negotiations; and has the employer agreed to permit work to continue for a reasonable time under the preexisting terms and conditions of employment pending further negotiations? If the employer refuses to so extend the expiring contract and maintain the status quo, then the resulting work stoppage constitutes a “lockout” and the disqualification for unemployment compensation benefits in the case of a “stoppage of work because of a labor dispute” does not apply.

Id. at 444-45, 163 A.2d at 93-94.

[56]*56In Philco, the Court refined the test by stating: “ [L]ogically the test of whether a work stoppage resulted from a strike or a lockout requires us to determine which side, union or management, first refused to continue operations under the status quo after the contract had technically expired, but while negotiations were continuing.” Id. at 103, 242 A.2d at 455.

Here, Petitioners contend that the Board capriciously disregarded competent evidence in failing to find that both before and after commencement of the work stoppage, the Employer refused the Union’s offers to continue working under the old agreement and to maintain the status quo. Petitioners argue that these refusals either created a lock-out once the old agreement had expired or, in the alternative, converted a strike to a lock-out.

Our review of the record reveals that with respect to the alleged pre-work stoppage offers, two of the Union’s negotiators testified that during negotiating sessions held on May 23 and June 13, 1983,4 the Employer refused the Union’s offers to extend the then current agreement pending further negotiations. The Employer’s representative testified that while the Union’s negotiators may have made “off-hand remarks” about extending the old agreement, these remarks never materialized into an offer. The Employer ’s representative further testified that after the old agreement had expired on June 18, 1983, the employees could have continued working under the preexisting terms and conditions of employment.

[57]*57The Board in its findings of fact found only that at the time the work stoppage began, work was available under the preexisting terms and conditions of employment. No findings were made regarding the Union’s alleged offers to extend the old agreement and the Employer’s response to these offers.5 Although an adjudication must include all findings necessary to resolve the issues raised by the evidence which are relevant to the decision, Lipchak v. Unemployment Compensation Board of Review, 34 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 451, 383 A.2d 970 (1978), we do not believe that the Board’s failure to making findings with respect to the Union’s alleged pre-work stoppage offers to extend the parties’ agreement requires that we remand.

This Court has held that the point in time when an employer’s refusal to grant an extension of an agreement can constitute a lock-out is when “negotiations are clearly at an end without a new agreement having been signed and the expiration date has been reached. ...” Union Spring and Manufacturing Co. v.

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Bluebook (online)
491 A.2d 953, 89 Pa. Commw. 51, 1985 Pa. Commw. LEXIS 1027, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/batkowski-v-commonwealth-unemployment-compensation-board-of-review-pacommwct-1985.