International Union of Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers v. National Labor Relations Board

610 F.2d 956, 198 U.S. App. D.C. 14
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit·Decided October 2, 1979·No. Nos. 78-2066, 78-2067, 78-2261 and 78-2262·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

Opinion for the Court filed by Circuit Judge SPOTTSWOOD W. ROBINSON, III.

Circuit Judge TAMM dissents.

SPOTTSWOOD W. ROBINSON, III, Circuit Judge:

These consolidated cases concern the obligation of employers to supply unions during collective bargaining with information on employment of minorities and women. The International Union of Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers, AFL-CIO — CLC, was the charging party in two unfair labor practice proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board in which Westinghouse Electric Company1 and East Dayton Tool & Die Company 2 were found to have violated Sections 8(a)(1)3 and 8(a)(5)4 of the National Labor Relations Act by refusing to provide the union with statistical data on the hiring and retention of minorities and women and with reports of complaints of racial and sex-based discrimination leveled by bargaining-unit employees. The Board stopped short of granting the union’s demand for information pertaining to individuals outside the bargaining unit, and for the companies’ plans or reasons for not hiring more women and members of minorities.5

The union filed petitions for review of these orders here.6 The next day, Westinghouse petitioned in the Fourth Circuit,7 and thereafter East Dayton in the Sixth Circuit,8 for review of the orders respectively affecting them. Subsequently, in this court, the companies moved for and were granted leave to intervene,9 and the Board applied for enforcement.10

Now before us are the companies’ motions to dismiss the union’s petitions as premature, or in the alternative to transfer the Westinghouse and East Dayton cases to the Fourth and Sixth Circuits, respectively.11 The question of prematurity turns on whether the Board’s orders validly issued prior to the union’s filings, and we find that they had.12 We further conclude that the motions to transfer should be denied.13

I. ISSUANCE OF THE DECISIONS

Between 4:00 and 4:30 p. m. on the afternoon of October 31, 1978, employees of the Board’s associate executive secretary, Ms. Enid W. Weber, delivered to the Board’s mailroom copies of the Board’s decisions and orders in Westinghouse and East Dayton.14 In accordance with the Board’s unof[17]*17ficial but “regular issuance practice,” some copies were bagged and marked to be sent by registered mail to “the designated representative for each party,” and a second set was similarly bagged and marked to be sent by regular first class mail to “each of the parties, other interested persons, and to all persons sent copies by registered mail.”15 Logs indicating whom had been served by first class mail and whom had also been served by registered mail were maintained in Ms. Weber’s office.16

The Board’s records indicate that copies were mailed first class to Westinghouse, East Dayton and the union on October 31.17 The United States Postal Service picked up that first class mail at the Board’s mailroom sometime during the evening on that date.18 But the copies to go by registered mail, though delivered to the mailroom simultaneously with those sent first class, were not picked up by the Postal Service until 4:00 p. m. the next day, November l.19

The union received its first class mail copy of the East Dayton decision at its Washington, D.C., mailing address early on the morning of November l.20 Because of an error in mailing, the Westinghouse decision did not arrive until the next day.21 At 8:51 a. m. on November 1, the union petitioned this court for review of the East Dayton order.22 At 11:11 a. m. on the same morning, the union, inferring from the East Dayton decision that the Westinghouse decision likewise was adverse to it with respect to the issues raised by its earlier filing petitioned for review of the Westinghouse orders in this court.23

Both petitions were filed before either Westinghouse or East Dayton had notice or knowledge of the Board’s decision. On November 2, counsel for Westinghouse received a registered mail copy of the decision in its case and petitioned for review in the Fourth Circuit.24 Counsel for East Dayton received initial service of the decision in its case by registered mail on November 3,25 and petitioned for review in the Sixth Circuit on December l.26

II. THE MOTIONS TO DISMISS „

Disposition of the companies’ motions to dismiss the union’s petitions as premature requires consideration of three related statutory provisions. Section 10(f) of the National Labor Relations Act provides that “[a]ny person aggrieved by a final [unfair labor practice] order of the Board” may obtain review thereof in this court, or in the court of appeals for any circuit in which the unfair labor practice occurred or in which [18]*18the person resides or transacts business.27 Section 10(c) of the Act specifies that “[i]f upon the preponderance of the testimony taken the Board shall be of the opinion that any person named in the complaint has engaged in or is engaging in any such unfair labor practice, then the Board shall state its findings of fact and shall issue and cause to be served on such person an order requiring such person to cease and desist . .”28 Permissible methods of service are detailed in Section 11(4), which states that “orders, and other process and papers of the Board . . . may be served either personally or by registered mail or by telegraph or by leaving a copy thereof at the principal office or place of business of the person required to be served.”29

The companies contend that an order must be issued before an aggrieved party may petition for its review; that issuance, by virtue of Section 10(c), can be accomplished only through service; and that the alternative methods of service mentioned in Section 11(4) are exclusive.30 The union’s petitions were filed prior to effectuation of service upon the companies by registered mail and therefore, the companies insist, should be dismissed as premature.

An agency’s choice of methods for informing interested parties of its decision is committed to its discretion and will be sustained if it is reasonable and contravenes no statutory directive.31 The companies’ argument of statutory inconsistency falters on the absence of any congressional indication that a Board order is unissued, for purposes of judicial review, until served. On the contrary, Section 10(c) in terms requires the Board to “issue and cause to be served” its decisional orders, thus at least suggesting that issuance and service are separate processes. Section 10(c) clearly requires service to be made.32 But an order can, so far as appears from the statute, be publicly promulgated prior to service.33

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International Union of Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers v. National Labor Relations Board, 610 F.2d 956, 198 U.S. App. D.C. 14 (D.C. Cir. 1979).

610 F.2d 956 (International Union of Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers v. National Labor Relations Board) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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