National Labor Relations Board v. R. L. Sweet Lumber Company, and Standard Homes Company, Intervenor

515 F.2d 785, 89 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2326, 1975 U.S. App. LEXIS 14718
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedMay 13, 1975
Docket74-1065
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 515 F.2d 785 (National Labor Relations Board v. R. L. Sweet Lumber Company, and Standard Homes Company, Intervenor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth 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. R. L. Sweet Lumber Company, and Standard Homes Company, Intervenor, 515 F.2d 785, 89 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2326, 1975 U.S. App. LEXIS 14718 (10th Cir. 1975).

Opinion

HOLLOWAY, Circuit Judge.

The petitioner, National Labor Relations Board, seeks enforcement of its decision and order that Sweet Lumber Company, the respondent, and Standard Homes Company, the intervenor, cease recognition of Teamsters Local 541 as bargaining agent of certain employees primarily engaged in the prefabrication and assembly of homes at the Standard Homes plant in Olathe, Kansas, and bargain collectively with Carpenters’ District Council of Kansas City and Vicinity, AFL-CIO, as the representative of the same employees.

The Board adopted the findings, decision and proposed order of the Administrative Law Judge. 207 NLRB No. 89. It thereby determined that Sweet Lumber — acting by and through its alter ego, Standard Homes — had violated § 8(a)(1), (2), (3) and (5) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 158(a)(1), (2), (3) and (5), in that (R. 879-80):

1. Sweet Lumber, by and through Standard Homes, rendered unlawful assistance and support to the Teamsters in violation of § 8(a)(1) and (2).
2. Sweet Lumber, by and through Standard Homes, enforced the provisions of the union security agreement of the Teamster contract against certain employees at Standard Homes’ Olathe plant, thereby encouraging membership in the Teamsters and discouraging membership in the Carpenters, in violation of § 8(a)(1) and (3).
3. Sweet Lumber, by and through Standard Homes, refused to bargain collectively with the Carpenters as the exclusive representative of certain employees at Standard Homes’ Olathe plant and unilaterally changed the terms and conditions of employment of said employees, in violation of § 8(a)(1) and (5).

Respondent and intervenor challenge enforcement of the Board’s decision and order, arguing principally that: (1) the charge of unfair labor practices was time-barred by § 10(b) of the Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 160(b); and (2) the evidence is insufficient to support the Board’s findings of unfair labor practices. We must disagree with the respondent and intervenor, and grant enforcement.

Before treating the issues we will outline the factual background. As we do so, it is convenient to focus on dates in view of the time bar issue raised under § 10(b). Since the unfair labor practices charge was filed on August 18, 1972, the crucial date is February 19, 1972. Charges of ünfair labor practices occurring before that date are barred, while those occurring on or after that date are timely.

The factual background

Sweet Lumber is engaged in the wholesale and retail sale of lumber and related products. Its principal office and lumberyard is, and has been since 1952, located at 4400 Roe Boulevard, Kansas City, Kansas. Mrs. R. L. Sweet has been president of Sweet Lumber since the death of Mr. Sweet in 1958. Along with the sale of lumber and other building products, Sweet Lumber has manufactured and sold millwork such as doors, windows and room dividers, and also single-package prefabricated homes. Through October, 1971, the prefab home manufacturing activity was carried on by the Standard Homes Division of Sweet Lumber and through February, 1972, this occurred at the Roe Boulevard location.

At all times pertinent to this case the employees at the Roe Boulevard yard have been represented by two unions. Warehouse and yard employees, including lumber handlers, truckdrivers, loaders, forklift operators and stockmen, have been represented by Teamsters Local 541. Other employees engaged in the manufacturing process, including millmen and prefab home assemblers, have been represented by Carpenters Local 1635.

*788 In 1971 the directors of Sweet Lumber determined that the Roe Boulevard location was no longer adequate to carry on all of the company’s activities, particularly the manufacture of prefab homes. At a directors meeting in June, 1971, it was decided to move the prefab homes operation to another location. In late 1971 land was purchased and construction of a new plant began at Olathe, Kansas, some 19 miles from the Roe Boulevard location. 1

The directors also decided to incorpo-' rate separately the prefab home operation. They changed the name of Construction Loan Company, an existing corporation of which Mrs. Sweet was also president, to Standard Homes Company. Mrs. Sweet remained president of the newly named company. Mrs. Sweet testified that the incorporation of Standard Homes was not related to the decision to move to Olathe (R. 382). Respondent and intervenor also stress the fact that Standard Homes is a Delaware Corporation while Sweet Lumber is a . Missouri Corporation in challenging the finding that Standard Homes and Sweet Lumber were a single employer (R. 863), and the finding that the Olathe prefab operation was an accretion to the Roe Boulevard prefab unit, represented by the Carpenters union (R. 865).

After the separate incorporation of Standard Homes, on October 31, 1971, the production of prefab homes continued by the same manufacturing processes at the Roe Boulevard plant. An arrangement was arrived at whereby Sweet Lumber sold its prefab homes to Standard Homes for a price that included the value of the materials and a fixed labor cost for each unit. Fixed assets and various items of property of Standard Homes Division were sold at the book value by Sweet Lumber to Standard Homes Company on November 1, 1971. Although a separate office was temporarily set up for Standard Homes Company office employees at Roe Boulevard and some office employees were paid on Standard Homes Company checks at least in January and February of 1972, the prefab production employees continued to be employed and paid by Sweet Lumber.

In August, 1971, a “Staff Bulletin” was placed in the timecard slots of the employees at Roe Boulevard relating the news of the planned move to Olathe. The bulletin stated that the new plant would be occupied by “Standard Homes Company, a division of Sweet Lumber” and that January, 1972, was the target date for completion (Ex. 4, R. 795).

Preparations for occupying the Olathe plant began in January, 1972. Early that month, Frank Woodbury and Charles Roberts went out to the Olathe site to coordinate completion of the plant with the general contractor. Lumber also began arriving that month, and four employees were hired to unload the initial lumber deliveries and to build racks and other facilities. One of these men, Kline, had been a member of the Teamsters unit at Roe Boulevard and became a foreman at Olathe. The other three— Streeter, Nicely and Brown — were new employees.

On January 24, 1972, Aubrey Williamson, a business agent of Teamsters Local 541, visited Olathe and obtained signed authorization cards from Kline, Streeter, Nicely and Brown (R. 257-258, 275, 855). On February 4, Williamson met with Eugene Smith, then the vice-president of Standard Homes, and Charles Hoffhaus, attorney for Sweet Lumber, and presented the signed authorization cards. After verifying the signatures, Smith and Hoffhaus agreed to bargain, and on February 11, Standard Homes and Teamsters Local 541 executed a contract running from February 7, 1972, to February 2, 1975, with a provision for automatic renewal (R. 260, 669, 855). The contract *789 wage scale provided for a minimum hourly wage of $3.50 per hour.

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Bluebook (online)
515 F.2d 785, 89 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2326, 1975 U.S. App. LEXIS 14718, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-labor-relations-board-v-r-l-sweet-lumber-company-and-standard-ca10-1975.