Florida Steel Corporation, Petitioner-Cross v. National Labor Relations Board, Respondent-Cross National Labor Relations Board v. Florida Steel Corporation

648 F.2d 233
Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit·Decided July 28, 1981·No. 76-1743·Published

Opinion

648 F.2d 233

107 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3043, 107 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3191,
91 Lab.Cas. P 12,820

FLORIDA STEEL CORPORATION, Petitioner-Cross Respondent,
v.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Respondent-Cross Petitioner.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Petitioner,
v.
FLORIDA STEEL CORPORATION, Respondent.

Nos. 75-4027, 76-1743 and 76-3835.

United States Court of Appeals,
Fifth Circuit.

Unit B
June 15, 1981.
As Amended on Denial of Rehearing July 28, 1981.

Charles F. Henley, Jr., William H. Andrews, Jacksonville, Fla., for Florida Steel Corp.

William A. Lubbers, Gen. Counsel, John E. Higgins, Jr., Deputy Gen. Counsel, Robert E. Allen, Acting Associate Gen. Counsel, Elliott Moore, Deputy Associate Gen. Counsel, Paul Elkind, Asst. Gen. Counsel for Contempt Litigation Peter Ames Eveleth, Deputy Asst. Gen. Counsel for Contempt Litigation, Anton Hajjar, Atty., NLRB, Washington, D.C., for NLRB.

Jeffrey L. Gibbs, Elliot Bredhoff, Washington, D. C., for amicus curiae United Steelworkers of America.

Petition for Adjudication in Civil Contempt and for Other Civil Relief.

Before KRAVITCH and THOMAS A. CLARK, Circuit Judges, and LYNNE*, District Judge.

KRAVITCH, Circuit Judge:

The allegedly unlawful conduct of Florida Steel Corp. (Florida Steel) now before us1 is the showing of an anti-union videotape. The National Labor Relations Board (the Board) petitioned this court for an adjudication of civil contempt against the company on the ground that the showing violated three previous orders of this court,2 prohibiting Florida Steel from, inter alia, in any manner interfering with, restraining or coercing employees in the exercise of their rights protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act in violation of § 8(a)(1).3 The Special Master appointed by this court to make findings of fact and conclusions of law found that the company's use of certain portions of the videotape violated our previous orders. He recommended that Florida Steel be held in contempt and various remedies be imposed. The company here challenges the Special Master's conclusions; the Board in turn urges us to impose greater sanctions than those suggested.4 We conclude that the Special Master correctly found Florida Steel in contempt and that the proposed remedies are sufficient. Hence, we adopt those recommendations.

Florida Steel manufactures, processes and sells steel and steel-related products. It maintains facilities at Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Meyers, Orlando, and Indiantown, Florida; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; and Aiken, South Carolina.5 The Steelworkers Union represents employees at the Charlotte and Indiantown plants. The instant controversy arose during that union's organizational campaign at the Tampa facility during which Florida Steel produced and exhibited a videotape designed to "prevent" employees from signing union authorization cards.6 The film was aimed primarily at newly hired hourly employees although salaried and supervisory personnel were to view it as well. To produce the film, the company's Public Relations Manager, Bobbie Willis, hired an independent advertising and public relations firm that had previously done anti-union campaign work for the company. James Hogue, Vice President Industrial Relations, approved the finished product entitled "Look Out for the Cards" and directed that it be distributed to Florida Steel plants to be shown to all current employees and those hired in the future. Only those employees represented by the Steelworkers at Indiantown and Charlotte were excluded from this directive.7 No active organizing, save minor activity at Jacksonville and Tampa, occurred after the videotape's distribution.

The Special Master found that two aspects of the videotape violated the earlier orders of this court: 1) the description of comparative wage increases given by the company at a union (Fort Lauderdale) and a non-union (Miami) plant; and 2) a segment suggesting that employees who had signed an attendance roster at a union meeting at the Indiantown facility were later forced to give testimony at a government hearing. The Special Master found that both of these segments violated § 8(a)(1) of the Act in that they contained "threats of reprisal"8 as a result of union support. We agree.

In reaching these conclusions, the Special Master held that where the Board seeks an adjudication of civil contempt, it must do so by clear and convincing evidence. This is the proper standard of proof. N.L.R.B. v. Alamo Express, Inc., 395 F.2d 481 (5th Cir. 1968). Since this proceeding is in civil, not criminal, contempt, the company's intent is not at issue, only its actual compliance with this court's orders. N.L.R.B. v. Crown Laundry & Dry Cleaners, Inc., 437 F.2d 290 (5th Cir. 1971); N.L.R.B. v. Lawley, 182 F.2d 798 (5th Cir. 1950). We need not, therefore, address the question of wilfulness.9 Finally, in reviewing the Special Master's findings of fact, we are bound by the clearly erroneous standard. Fed.R.Civ.P. 53(e)(2); N.L.R.B. v. J. P. Stevens & Co., Inc., Gulistan Div., 538 F.2d 1152 (5th Cir. 1976). Our review of those findings shows that they meet that standard.

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Florida Steel Corporation, Petitioner-Cross v. National Labor Relations Board, Respondent-Cross National Labor Relations Board v. Florida Steel Corporation, 648 F.2d 233 (5th Cir. 1981).

648 F.2d 233 (Florida Steel Corporation, Petitioner-Cross v. National Labor Relations Board, Respondent-Cross National Labor Relations Board v. Florida Steel Corporation) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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