National Labor Relations Board v. International Association of MacHinists Lodge 942, Afl-Cio

263 F.2d 796
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit·Decided February 26, 1959·No. 15814·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

ORR, Circuit Judge.

The National Labor Relations Board, hereafter Board, determined in a pror ceeding before it that respondent International Association of Machinists, Lodge 942, AFL-CIO, hereafter Union, had committed unfair labor practices in that it had attempted to illegally restrain and coerce the employees of the Alloy Manufacturing Company, hereafter Alloy, as prohibited by section 8(b) (1) (A) of the National Labor Relations Act, 61 Stat. 140 (1947), 29 U.S.C.A. § 158, and that Union had violated section 8(b) (2) of the Act by attempting to cause Alloy to discriminate against its employees in violation of section 8(a) (3).

Section 8(b) (1) (A) provides that: “It shall be an unfair labor practice for a labor organization or its agents * * to restrain or coerce * * * employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 7”; section 7, 29 U.S.C.A. § 157 provides that: “employees shall have the right to self-organization, * * to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing * * * and shall also have the right to refrain from any or all of such activities * * ”.

Section 8(b) (2) provides that: “It shall be an unfair labor practice for a labor organization or its agents * * * to cause or attempt to cause an employer to discriminate against an employee in violation of subsection (a) (3) * * ” and subsection (a) (3) provides that: “It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer * * * by discrimination in regard to hire or tenure * * * to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization * * * The Board after entering its order petitioned this court for its enforcement.

Alloy manufactures and sells truck bodies, semi-trailers and allied products. In 1954 Union made an effort to become the bargaining agent of Alloy’s employees. Pursuant to proper initiation procedure, the Board conducted an election which resulted in the rejection of Union as the bargaining agent. In the spring of 1955, Union renewed its efforts to get a collective bargaining agreement by direct approach to Alloy rather than to its employees and presented to Alloy a proposed agreement to that effect together with a demand that all employees become members of Union. Alloy refused to so agree on the ground that such an agreement could not be validly executed, absent the selection of its employees of Union as such agent. But 1 or 2 out of a total of employees ranging from 8-13 were members of Union at the times the demands were made. At no time has Union maintained that it represented a majority of the employees. In making its demand on Alloy that it designate Union as its bargaining agent it informed Alloy that: “We are doing things different this year. We are * * *' going direct to the employer, and we’d like to have you sign the contract and then go tell your men that you’re Union and they will be very happy to be in the Union.”

Further meetings and discussions were had and Alloy continued to refuse to sign the agreement. On June 20, Union requested that Alloy be placed on the Spokane Central Labor Council’s “We Do Not Patronize List” and that was subsequently done. The Union also made appeals to Alloy’s customers to stop doing business with Alloy. On June 23 the company filed a petition with the Board seeking a second representation election.

On August 16, Union began picketing the plant, and continued to do so for almost a year and until proceedings were instituted with the Board. After picketing began, five employees did not report for work and were subsequently replaced.

*798 Alloy continued to operate though on some occasions truck drivers refused to unload supplies, and some of its customers notified Alloy that their business relations with Alloy were being affected by the picketing.

The Union resisted the proposal of Alloy for an election, informing the Board that it did “not claim to represent any of (Alloy’s) employees.” The Board nevertheless ordered an election which was held. No votes were cast for Union; six were cast against it. In the face of this unanimous rejection, Union continued its course of conduct consisting of picketing, listing and customer appeals.

In holding that Union violated section 8(b) (1) (A), the Board found that Union had exerted economic pressure on Alloy for the purpose of forcing Alloy to recognize Union as exclusive bargaining agent notwithstanding it represented no employees of Alloy.

The Board’s holding that Union violated section 8(b) (2) and (1) (A) was on the ground that its activities were engaged in for the purpose of enforcing its demand for a security agreement.

Union concedes that it violated section 8(b) (2) of the Act in that it attempted “to cause an employer to discriminate against an employee in violation of subsection (a) (3)” by picketing to secure a union shop agreement when it had no majority. It asserts, however, that the facts fail to establish a violation of 8(b) (1) (A) and further maintains that the “Do Not Patronize List” and the customer appeals violated no provisions of the Act. The order of the Board is said to be too broad to the extent that it prohibits conduct not actually engaged in or threatened to be engaged in by Union.

In the light of Union’s concession that by its conduct it violated section 8(b) (2) it becomes unnecessary to determine whether it violated 8(b) (1) (A) in respect to the use of pickets to force acceptance of a union security agreement since Union has acquiesced in the entry of a decree enforcing the order of the Board in this respect.

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National Labor Relations Board v. International Association of MacHinists Lodge 942, Afl-Cio, 263 F.2d 796 (9th Cir. 1959).

263 F.2d 796 (National Labor Relations Board v. International Association of MacHinists Lodge 942, Afl-Cio) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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