Local Union No. 277, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, in No. 82-3392 v. National Labor Relations Board, Jennings v. Love, in No. 82-3453 v. National Labor Relations Board, Local Union No. 277, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, Intervenor

717 F.2d 805
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Third Circuit
DecidedSeptember 19, 1983
Docket82-3392
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 717 F.2d 805 (Local Union No. 277, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, in No. 82-3392 v. National Labor Relations Board, Jennings v. Love, in No. 82-3453 v. National Labor Relations Board, Local Union No. 277, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, Intervenor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Local Union No. 277, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, in No. 82-3392 v. National Labor Relations Board, Jennings v. Love, in No. 82-3453 v. National Labor Relations Board, Local Union No. 277, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades, Intervenor, 717 F.2d 805 (3d Cir. 1983).

Opinion

717 F.2d 805

114 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2706, 98 Lab.Cas. P 10,473

LOCAL UNION NO. 277, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF PAINTERS
AND ALLIED TRADES, Petitioner in No. 82-3392,
v.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Respondent.
Jennings V. LOVE, Petitioner in No. 82-3453,
v.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Respondent,
Local Union No. 277, International Brotherhood of Painters
and Allied Trades, Intervenor.

Nos. 82-3392, 82-3453.

United States Court of Appeals,
Third Circuit.

Argued June 6, 1983.
Decided Sept. 19, 1983.

Robert F. O'Brien, James Katz (argued), Tomar, Parks, Seliger, Simonoff & Adourian, Haddonfield, N.J., for petitioner Union.

Charlotte Hollander (argued), Groch & Hollander, Somers Point, N.J., for petitioner Jennings V. Love.

William A. Lubbers, Gen. Counsel, John E. Higgins, Jr., Deputy Gen. Counsel, Robert E. Allen, Associate Gen. Counsel, Elliott Moore, Deputy Associate Gen. Counsel, Barbara Atkin (argued), N.L.R.B., Washington, D.C., for respondent.

Before SEITZ, Chief Judge, SLOVITER, Circuit Judge, and POLLAK, District Judge.*

OPINION OF THE COURT

SEITZ, Chief Judge.

I.

Local Union No. 277, International Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades (the Union) petitions for review of an order of the National Labor Relations Board (the Board) finding that the Union violated section 8(b)(1)(A) of the National Labor Relations Act (the NLRA), 29 U.S.C. Sec. 158(b)(1)(A) (1976), by operating an exclusive hiring hall without regard to objective standards for referral. See Polis Wallcovering, 262 N.L.R.B. No. 169, 1982-83 NLRB Dec. (CCH) p 15,077 (1982). The Union also seeks review of the Board's order finding that it violated sections 8(b)(1)(A) and 8(b)(2) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. Secs. 158(b)(1)(A) & (b)(2), by its failure to refer for employment Edward W. Pygatt.

Jennings V. Love petitions for review of the Board's order finding that the Union did not violate sections 8(b)(1)(A) and 8(b)(2) of the Act by its failure to refer him for employment. The Board resists this petition, and we granted the Union's motion to intervene in support of the Board. Love also seeks review of the Board's denial of his motion to reopen the record.

The Board has filed a cross-application for enforcement of its order against the Union with respect to the hiring hall and Pygatt. This court has jurisdiction under sections 10(e) and (f) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. Secs. 160(e) & (f).

II.

The Hiring Hall's Referral Procedures

The Union operates an exclusive hiring hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which refers painters and paperhangers to employers pursuant to the terms of a collective bargaining agreement between the Union and the National Painting and Decorating Contractors of America, an employers' association. Article IV of that agreement sets forth certain requirements and procedures with respect to the referral system. Article IV provides:

Hiring

4.1 In the employment of workmen for all work covered by this agreement, the following provision shall govern:

(a) The union shall establish and maintain an open and nondiscriminatory employment list for the employment of workmen of this particular trade, including journeymen painters and indentured apprentices previously employed by employers in the multi-employer unit included in this agreement and non-member workers who may make application for a place on this list.

(b) Whenever desiring to employ workmen, the employer shall call upon the union or its agent, for any such workmen as they may from time to time need, and the union or its agent shall immediately furnish the employers the required number of qualified and competent workmen needed by the employer.

(c) The union or its agent will furnish each such required competent workman entered on said list to the employer by use of a written referral, which shall be mailed by the union to the workman dispatched and will furnish such workmen from the union's open listing in the manner and order following:

1. The specifically named workmen to have recently been laid off or terminated by an employer now desiring to re-employ the same workmen, provided they are available for employment.

2. Workmen who have been employed by employers within the unit covered by this agreement during the previous ten (10) years.

3. Workmen whose names are entered on the list above referred to and who are available for employment.

....

(e) The employer shall have entire freedom of selectivity in hiring and may reject any person referred to it by the union.

(f) A notice incorporating the above enumerated terms and conditions relating to the hiring system shall be conspicuously posted at the union's office and principal place of business.

(g) No provision of this agreement shall be based upon or ... affected by the union membership, by-laws, regulations, constitutional provisions or any other aspect or obligation of union membership, policies or requirement.

The Board found that James T. Brennan, the business manager of Local 277, uses the following procedure to determine who will be referred for employment when a contractor requests painters or paperhangers from the Atlantic City hiring hall. Brennan accords first preference in referrals to employees specifically recalled by former employers. Brennan then usually chooses workers from among those present in the hiring hall when he receives a job request, although there is uncontroverted evidence that he would call Pygatt and petitioner Love on the telephone to give them referrals. Brennan uses his own judgment to determine which people to send if there are more workers in the hall than there are jobs available. Although Brennan testified that in selecting workers for referral, he considers who is best suited for the kind of work to be done and who on the basis of past experience is familiar with the particular employer or the particular job site, the Board found that the choice is "purely personal and made without aid of objective factors." 262 N.L.R.B. No. 169 at 9 (opinion of the ALJ, adopted by the Board).

The Board also found that Brennan uses the following documents in making referrals. First, to aid him in satisfying the Union's contractual obligation to refer named workers recalled by former employers, Brennan keeps a list of workers who have recently been laid off. This list does not distinguish between union members and non-members. Brennan also maintains a card file or files of the names of non-members seeking employment. There is also a Union membership list, but Brennan does not use it in making referrals; he testified that he knows everyone in the small Local.

The General Counsel charged that by operating a hiring hall without using objective criteria for referral, the Union violated sections 8(b)(1)(A) and 8(b)(2) of the NLRA.1 The General Counsel sought an award of backpay to unidentified job applicants and also sought to impose liability under sections 8(a)(1) and 8(a)(3), 29 U.S.C. Secs.

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