National Labor Relations Board v. The Denver Photo-Engravers' Union No. 18, International Photo-Engravers Union of North America, Afl-Cio

351 F.2d 67, 60 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2077, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 4589
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedAugust 26, 1965
Docket7957_1
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 351 F.2d 67 (National Labor Relations Board v. The Denver Photo-Engravers' Union No. 18, International Photo-Engravers Union of North America, Afl-Cio) 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. The Denver Photo-Engravers' Union No. 18, International Photo-Engravers Union of North America, Afl-Cio, 351 F.2d 67, 60 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2077, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 4589 (10th Cir. 1965).

Opinion

PHILLIPS, Circuit Judge.

This is a petition for enforcement of an order of the National Labor Relations Board, hereinafter referred to as the Board, issued against the Denver PhotoEngravers’ Union No. 18, International Photo-Engravers’ Union of North America, AFL-CIO, hereinafter referred to as the Photo-Engravers’ Union, ordering it to cease and desist certain violations of § 8(b) (4) (ii) (D) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C.A. § 158(b) (4) (ii) (D)) and to post appropriate notices.

The Board proceedings arose from a jurisdictional dispute between the PhotoEngravers’ Union and the Denver Typographical Union No. 49, International Typographical Union, AFL-CIO, hereinafter referred to as the Typographical Union, with respect to the operation of a Kenro camera installed in the composing room of the Rocky Mountain News, a daily newspaper published by the Denver Publishing Company, hereinafter referred to as the Employer. Jurisdiction of the Board is not in dispute.

Prior to November, 1962, the Employer composed display advertisements for *68 publication by a hot type or hot metal composition process. In that process the ordinary letter print of an advertisement is cast in molten metal on a linotype machine. Lettering of an unusual size is cast in molten metal on a Ludlow machine. Linotype and Ludlow machines are operated by typographers. Other parts of an advertisement which cannot be produced on linotype or Ludlow machines, such as illustrations and half tones, are prepared by photo-engravers on zinc plates. When required for customer approval, velox or positive photographic prints of such parts are prepared by the photo-engravers. When the zinc plates are completed they are returned to the composing room, where a typographer assembles the complete advertisement in a chase. After the advertisement is so assembled, a proof is run by a typographer on a proof press located in the composing room and submitted to the customer for approval. If approved, the advertisement is set in page form and is then sent to the stereotypers, who cast a cylindrical plate for the printing press.

In 1959, the Board of Directors of the Employer undertook a study of the process of photocomposition with a view to installing equipment therefor in its composing room. During the next three years, considerable investigation was carried out by the Employer to determine the desirability of the process and the proper equipment needed. In July, 1962, the Board of Directors approved the purchase of photocomposition equipment and in the fall of that year delivery of the equipment began. In November, 1962, the first photocomposition advertisement was produced. At the time of the hearing both processes were being used, but the use of the cold process was being augmented.

In the photocomposition or cold type process, a machine known as a Fotosetter is substituted for the linotype. It produces a photographic positive of a line of type which is used in place of the metal type cast by a linotype in the hot metal process. The Fotosetter is operated by a typographer in the composing room and that operation is not in dispute here. Unusual sizes of type, produced by the Ludlow machine in the hot metal process, and other components of an advertisement produced by photo-engravers on zinc plates in the hot metal process, are produced in the form of velox prints by the Kenro camera. These photographic components are then pasted on a large sheet of paper, which is then placed in the Kenro camera, which produces a paper offset plate. The offset plate is then placed in an Ectalith machine, which produces an offset master. From that master a proof is made on an offset press for submission to the customer for approval. If approved, the entire pasted-up copy is sent to the photo-engravers, who reproduce the advertisement on a flat metal plate. The flat metal plate is then sent to the stereotypers, who cast a cyclindrical plate for the printing press.

After the Employer had determined to purchase the photocomposition equipment, and in August, 1962, its editor met with representatives of the Typographical Union. He advised them that the operation of the new equipment would be assigned to the typographers in the composing room and asked the cooperation of the Typographical Union in training its members to operate it. Whereupon the Typographical Union provided on the job training for its members who were employed in the composing room of the Employer. Such training lasted four hours a day for approximately three weeks.

In August, 1962, the editor also met with representatives of the Photo-Engravers’ Union and advised them of the determination to assign the photocom-position equipment to the typographers in the composing room. At that time, such representatives made no objection to the work assignment.

The reasons given by the Employer for assigning the photocomposition equipment to the typographers were: That such equipment was established in the composing room in other newspapers; that the work done by the photocomposition equipment was merely a new method *69 of doing that which had traditionally been done by typographers; that for reasons of efficiency all photocomposition should be done in one department under the supervision of one foreman before the final copy is sent to the photo-engravers ; and that had the work been assigned to the photo-engravers it would have necessitated the purchase of additional equipment.

The composing department and the photo-engraving department are located in adjacent rooms approximately 100 to 150 feet apart in the plant of the Employer. There is a connecting door between the two departments and there is a free interchange of personnel between them.

The typographers in the composing room are sufficiently skilled to operate the Kenro camera and have operated it to the satisfaction of the Employer since it was installed. At least six other newspapers in the country use typographers to operate the Kenro camera.

The work assignment made by the Employer augmented rather than decreased the work load of the employee-members of the Photo-Engravers’ Union.

The contract between the Employer and the Typographical Union in effect at all times here material provides in part as follows:

“Article XIII Jurisdiction of the Union
“2.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
351 F.2d 67, 60 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2077, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 4589, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-labor-relations-board-v-the-denver-photo-engravers-union-no-18-ca10-1965.