National Labor Relations Board v. Jay Co., Inc

227 F.2d 416
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedNovember 9, 1955
Docket19-35386
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 227 F.2d 416 (National Labor Relations Board v. Jay Co., Inc) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Labor Relations Board v. Jay Co., Inc, 227 F.2d 416 (9th Cir. 1955).

Opinions

[417]*417LEMMON, Circuit Judge.

The National Labor Relations Board petitions for enforcement of its order and respondent seeks to have the order set aside.

The Board’s order approved and followed findings of the Trial Examiner that Henry Vista Shannon, an employee, was discharged by Respondent for his role in disbanding the Jay Company Employees Association, and that respondent’s actions encouraged membership in that organization, in violation of Section 8(a) (3) and (1) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 158. The order requires respondent to cease and desist from the unfair labor practices found and “in any other manner interfering with, restraining or coercing employees in the exercise of the right to self-organization, to form, join, or assist the Union or any other labor organization, to bargain collectively * *

It was found that during the summer of 1951, Furniture Workers, Upholsterers and Wood Workers Union, Local 576, Independent, as well as an affiliate of AFL and an affiliate of CIO each put on a campaign to organize respondent’s employees, Joseph Josephson, president of respondent, at the request of a group of the employees, assembled the employees in the plant and addressed them on company time. He advocated the formation of a company union. Following the address, the employees met in the shop and proceeded to organize the Jay Company Employees Association and Shannon was elected president. In succeeding days a contract was negotiated and entered into between Association and respondent which required an employee who was a non-member to sign an application for membership in Association within 31 days after entering employment and further provided that membership in good standing therein was a condition to continued employment.1 New employees were informed by the officers and agents of respondent that they were obliged to join.

On either January 30 or 31, 1952 Shannon called a meeting of Association members, at which he claimed respondent had not lived up to the terms of the contract and advised that the Association disband. A vote' then taken favored Shannon’s proposal. On January 31 a letter signed by Shannon and two other Association officers addressed to respondent informing it of this action and requesting a meeting with management was placed on the desk of Theo. Deitch, the“ plant superintendent. On February 1 Deitch called Shannon into his private office and said to him, “I (am) ashamed of (your) attitude, (your) work record and (your) attempts to sell (yourself) and the company down the river, to sell (your) union short, and generally (to engage in) conduct unbecoming any member of society.” At the end of the day Shannon was discharged.

On February 4, Josephson informed Dietz and Berkowitz, assistant production manager, that he was undecided whether to close the plant or not because of the disbanding of the Association and that they were not to allow any employee into the plant the following morning until he had a chance to address them. He did speak to them on the following morning and stated according to Berkowitz, “things were not right; the tables was costing more than (I) had figured and if another union came in (I do) not know, myself, what (I would) do, whether (I) would contract it out back east, or whether (I will) close down ... (I do) not know what (I am) going to do, but for the time being the plant (is) closed”. A meeting of the employees followed at which they voted to retain the Association. Josephson, upon being informed of this action, congratulated the employees and promptly permitted them to go to work.

On August 22, 1952, respondent mailed a registered letter to Shannon offer-[418]*418mg reinstatement to him.. The letter was returned by the Post Office. It had not been delivered to the addressee because of absence of Shannon from the address, the only address of Shannon known to respondent. This, letter was also posted in the plant and through the posting Shannon learned about the offer. A month after the mailing Shannon presented himself at thé plant to accept the offer. ' In the meantime his position had been filled; so on that ground he was refused employment.

The Procedural Question.

On February 5, ■ 1952 Shannon filed a timely charge alleging his discriminatory discharge on February .1. On July 7, 1952 the General ’Counsel issued a complaint alleging Shannon’s urn lawful discharge. July 14, 1952, Local 576, Independent, filed a charge alleging respondent’s unfair labor practices in that “The employer did form and does dominate the administration of the Jay Company Association”. On July 23, 1952 • the General - Counsel issued an “Amended and Consolidated complaint” alleging the unfair ' labor practices set forth in the two charges. Respondent asserts that since the second charge was filed' more "than six months after the unfair labor practices set forth therein the coinplaint was invalid under Section 10(b) of the Act. TheBoard concluded that the Shannon charge was sufficient to support the entire complaint. We agree.

Subsequently, to the Board’s Decision and Order, the- Board administratively found that Local .576 had not been .in compliance with Section, 9(h) of the Act2 at the-time of the issuance of the Amended and Consolidated; Complaint. It would therefore, appear that the charge made by Local 576 raised no substantive issue. But Shannon’s charge, besides claiming his discharge because of his activities in behalf of Association, alleged “By these and other acts the company interfered with, restrained, and coerced its employees in the exercise of the - rights guaranteed by Sec. 7 of the Act”. The Notice of Hearing stated that “Copies of the Charges upon which the Amended and Consolidated Complaint is based are attached hereto”, but inadvertently the only charges attached were those of Local 576.

The Act required that the complaint contain a statement of charges. This requirement was met. There is no statutory or regulatory condition that the charges he attached to the complaint.3 It is to be noted that respondent was apprised of the nature and scope of the charges from the complaint. If there be .deduced any procedural neglect in this regard, and we find none, respondent was in nowise prejudiced.4

Sufficiency Of The Evidence.

We have considered the evidence before the Examiner. Considered as a whole-we conclude that there was before him and the Board substantiál ■evidence to support the findings.

Respondent contends that management only; expressed to the employees its opinion on the question of the advantages to flow from a company union and that such was privileged under Section 9(c). But respondent went much further than that. Respondent locked out the employees until they, under, the [419]*419pressure of the fear of losing their employment, reestablished the Association. The question whether the organization is employer-dominated depends upon the state of mind of the employee. N.L.R.B. v. Sharples Chemicals, 6 Cir., 209 F.2d 645. These employees acted as they knew their employer desired them to act and feared the consequences if they did not so act. Cf. N.L.R.B. v. Wemyss, 9 Cir., 212 F.2d 465.

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Puerto Rico Labor Relations Board v. Cooperativa Cafeteros
89 P.R. 487 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1963)
Junta de Relaciones del Trabajo v. Cooperativa Cafeteros
89 P.R. Dec. 498 (Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, 1963)
National Labor Relations Board v. Jay Co., Inc
227 F.2d 416 (Ninth Circuit, 1955)

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Bluebook (online)
227 F.2d 416, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-labor-relations-board-v-jay-co-inc-ca9-1955.