National Labor Relations Board v. Osbrink

218 F.2d 341, 35 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2291
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
DecidedDecember 20, 1954
DocketNo. 14073
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 218 F.2d 341 (National Labor Relations Board v. Osbrink) 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. Osbrink, 218 F.2d 341, 35 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2291 (9th Cir. 1954).

Opinion

STEPHENS, Circuit Judge.

The National Labor Relations Board is before us petitioning for an order of enforcement in two separate though related proceedings which were consolidated for hearing before an examiner, and later before the board. One was a proceeding to set aside a representative election and the other was upon charges that respondent had discharged certain employees in violation of § 8(a) (3) and (1) of the National Labor Relations Act, Title 29 U.S.C.A. § 158, and in violation of § 8(a) (1) as to certain rights guaranteed by § 7 of the Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 157.

The examiner found in the affirmative as to the allegations of the complaint and reported to the board in favor of invalidating the election because of management interference and in favor of reinstating two discharged employees upon the finding that they had been discharged without cause and for their union activities, and ordered the posting of notices in relation to the violations of employees’ rights as guaranteed by § 7 of the Act.

The board approved the report and made its orders accordingly.

At the outset it is well to dispose of one issue raised by Respondent. The union involved in the proceedings is the United Automobile, Aircraft and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, CIO (U.A.W.-C.I.O.) Region 6. Respondent makes the argument that “Region 6” is the union and charges that “Region 6” has not complied with § 9(f) (g) and (h) of the Act, 29 U.S. C.A. § 159 (f, g, h) (the anti-communist provisions). There is no such contention as to the U.A.W.-C.I.O. We reject the contention since the union involved is properly identified by its chosen name and it is apparent that “Region 6” denotes a regional part of the whole.

It appears that the Osbrink manufacturing business has been successfully conducted for some time without union organization of its employees, and that when there was activity toward unionization, the management was displeased. The upshot of the matter was that on January 2, 1952, the board called an election for January 25, 1952, at which election the proposition to authorize the union, heretofore named, as employees’ representative, was defeated by a vote of 196 against, to 100 for. The campaign right up to the voting was spirited with the union adherents on the one side and management-respondent on the other.

Ten days before the election date, John LeFlore, Jr., an active, outspoken pro-union employee, was handed his pay check by Wally Watkins with the statement that he was discharged. There is evidence that LeFlore asked Watkins (found by the Examiner and the Board to be assistant to foundry superintendent James Frederick Rasp) why he was fired and that he was told that the orders came from Rasp who admittedly was foundry superintendent. Rasp was not available, so LeFlore made the inquiry of R. H. Osbrink, one of the active partners, and the latter denied knowledge of the firing and referred him to Berton W. Beals, general manager of the plant. Beals denied knowledge but two days later he told LeFlore the discharge was because “he got sand in the molds, because they could not keep track of him on his job, and because his work was unsatisfactory.” A member of LeFlore’s crew asked Derry Smith (found by the Examiner and the Board to be a member of management) the reason for the discharge and Smith replied that he didn’t know, that he was a good worker and he would try to get him back. The next day Smith said he wouldn’t try to get LeFlore back because the latter had been passing out union hand bills. Later he told LeFlore he was sorry, that he had done all he could do but that he would never be taken back since it was known that he passed out union hand bills. Ralph Edward Goynes, another member of LeFlore’s crew, testified that Watkins told him (Goynes) about a week after the discharge that LeFlore was discharged for talking about, the union. There was contradiction of practically all of this testimony and re[343]*343spondent claimed LeFlore was careless and was wandering around, and an employee testified LeFlore was away about half the time and three or four times a day a substitute would have to be made. LeFlore testified that he was continuously being sent to various parts of the plant for supplies and denied leaving his post without authorization. There was more, pro and con. The examiner and the board found the fact to be that Le-Flore was discharged illegally because of his union activity and we do not conclude that we should reverse the finding upon an over-all view of the testimony.

Archie Plummer had come into the plant as an employee in June, 1951, and he was a pro-union man and he discussed the unionization and advocated it in the plant with its anti-union employees. On January 20, 1952, Plummer sustained a back sprain and didn’t report for work until February 13, 1952. On February 25, 1952, he requested and was granted by Uries Stephen Walker, his leadman (Walker should be distinguished from Watkins), absence for a day because of a cold. Plummer returned the next day and Watkins asked why he was absent, and Plummer explained that he had been granted permission. At the end of the work day Watkins gave Plum-mer his cheek and told him he was discharged for being off the job without reporting the absence. The discharge notice stated the discharge was because of “absenteeism and tardiness”. Osbrink denied that employees were discharged for absenteeism and tardiness alone, but they were taken into account with other factors in evaluating an employee’s work. There is evidence that respondent’s records showed repeated absences of other employees without authorization. There is evidence also that Plummer was noticed by Rasp, plant superintendent, as a union observer during the counting of the election ballots. Plummer continued to talk unionization after returning. Respondent introduced evidence of Plum-mer’s unsatisfactory work.

We are of the opinion that any reasonable over-all view of this evidence may well indicate that the pro-union activity was the motivating reason for the discharge, notwithstanding the testimony as to Plummer’s unsatisfactory work. However, the examiner heard the witnesses and we see no good reason for disturbing his findings. We quote from petitioner’s brief in note 2.1

We have briefly recited the evidence received by the examiner and the board, including the testimony which was received under the ruling that Derry Smith and Wally Watkins were supervisory employees. Respondent has all along contended that neither Smith nor Watkins had such status. We have read and studied the record from page one. the beginning, to page 502, the end, and we are of the opinion that if ever the doctrine of the Universal Camera case should be applied it should be applied upon this point in this case. Universal Camera Corp. v. N.L.R.B., 340 U S. 474, 71 S.Ct. 456, 95 L.Ed. 456. Every bit of testimony in the case relevant to the point indicates that Mr. R. H. Os-brink’s statement that Wally Watkins was no more than Rasp’s “leg man”, was accurate. There is no evidence that he was authorized or ever attempted to exercise any judgment as to policy or to hire or fire, demote or promote any employee. He was a trusted employee with intelligence enough to gather information for the management’s action. He [344]*344was a leadman. Derry Smith was a trusted and experienced employee who acted in the capacity of leadman and one of his duties was the breaking in of new workmen. There is no substantial evidence that he was authorized or ever attempted to speak or act for the management on any subject other than the actual conduct of the work.

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218 F.2d 341, 35 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-labor-relations-board-v-osbrink-ca9-1954.