Paulsen ex rel. National Labor Relations Board v. GVS Properties, LLC

904 F. Supp. 2d 282, 2012 WL 5612509, 194 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2829, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162125
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. New York
DecidedNovember 13, 2012
DocketNo. 12 Civ. 4845(BMC)
StatusPublished

This text of 904 F. Supp. 2d 282 (Paulsen ex rel. National Labor Relations Board v. GVS Properties, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Paulsen ex rel. National Labor Relations Board v. GVS Properties, LLC, 904 F. Supp. 2d 282, 2012 WL 5612509, 194 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2829, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162125 (E.D.N.Y. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION AND ORDER

COGAN, District Judge.

Before me is a petition for a preliminary injunction under § 10(j) of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) filed by James G. Paulsen, the Regional Director of Region 29 of the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB” or the “Board”). The petition seeks relief pending determination of proceedings that are presently sub judice before Administrative Law Judge Kenneth Chu, in which petitioner claims that respondent GVS Properties, LLC (“GVS”) has engaged and is engaging in unfair labor practices within the meaning of Sections 8(a)(1) and (5) of the NLRA. Petitioner seeks an injunction restraining respondent from further violations of Section 8(a)(1) and directing it to bargain with International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO, District 15, Local Lodge 447 (the “Union”) as allegedly required under Section 8(a)(5).

The Court ordered respondent to show cause why it, should not grant the relief requested. Having heard oral argument on the petition and reviewed the- parties’ [285]*285submissions and the underlying administrative record, the Court concludes that petitioner has not established reasonable cause for the Court to believe that GVS has committed an unfair labor practice. The petition is therefore denied.

BACKGROUND

The parties have agreed that this petition be decided on the administrative record developed before Administrative Law Judge Chu, which includes the hearing transcript and exhibits admitted at the hearing, since there are no material facts in dispute. Petitioner has also submitted the affidavit of Norman Brown, a former Union representative and current Legislative Director and Business Representative of the Union, which the Court has considered. The following is a summary of the undisputed facts drawn from those submissions.

GVS owns and manages residential and commercial buildings. On or about February 17, 2012, GVS purchased certain properties in New York City from property owner Broadway Portfolio I LLC (“Broadway”). Until the time of the sale, Broadway received services from Vantage Building Services, LLC (“Vantage”), a company that provides management services to residential and commercial real estate building owners throughout New York City and is responsible for the maintenance, repair and upkeep of the buildings it services.

In early 2010, maintenance employees employed by Vantage at numerous locations across the city, including those employees who serviced the properties owned by Broadway, elected the Union as their collective bargaining representative. In May 2010, the Union and Vantage entered into a collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) that covered the employees who serviced the properties owned by Broadway, referred to by the Union as “the Unit.” The Unit consists of all full-time superintendents and porters (also known as maintenance technicians and maintenance assistants, respectively), excluding all other employees, clerical employees, managerial employees, guards and supervisors as defined in the NLRA, employed at the following addresses in New York, New York: 601 West 139th Street (a/k/a 3421 Broadway); 614 West 157th Street; 600 West 161st Street (a/k/a 3851 Broadway); 559 West 164th Street; 701 West 175th Street; 700 West 176th Street; and 667 West 177th Street (a/k/a 4180 Broadway) (“New York City properties”).

When GVS bought the New York City properties from Broadway, on or about February 17, 2012, GVS assumed Vantage.^ management operations of those properties. On or about February 18, 2012, GVS hired seven out of eight of the Unit employees pursuant to its obligations under the Displaced Building Service Workers Protection Act (“Displaced Workers Act”).

In relevant part, the Displaced Workers Act states:

(5) A successor employer shall retain for a ninety (90) day transition employment period at the affected building(s) those building service employee(s) of the terminated building service contractor (and its subcontractors), or other covered employer, employed at the building(s) covered by the terminated building service contract or owned or operated by the former covered employer.
(6) If at any time the successor employer determines that fewer building service employees are required to perform building services at the affected building(s) than had been performing such services under the former employer, the successor employer shall retain the predecessor building service employees by seniority within job classification; pro[286]*286vided, that during such 90-day transition period, the successor employer shall maintain a preferential hiring list of those building service employees not retained at the building(s) who shall be given a right of first refusal to any jobs within their classifications that become available during that period.
(7) Except as provided in part (6) of this subsection, during such 90-day period, the successor contractor shall not discharge without cause an employee retained pursuant to this section.
(8) At the end of the 90-day transition period, the successor employer shall perform a written performance evaluation for each employee retained pursuant to this section. If the employee’s performance during such 90-day period is satisfactory, the successor contractor shall offer the employee continued employment under the terms and conditions established by the successor employer or as required by law.

N.Y.C. Admin. Code § 22-505.

Although the Displaced Workers Act allows termination for cause, GVS did not terminate any of its predecessor’s employees on that basis at any point during the 90-day transition employment period. GVS did, however, terminate one of the Unit employees on or about February 18, 2012, having decided that it did not need all eight employees to perform the services required. By letter dated February 17, 2012, GVS’s Operations Manager, Nicholas Conway, advised each of the seven employees who were not terminated that: (a) on or about February 18, 2012, GVS would be assuming management of the New York City properties and that effective February 18, 2012, the employees would no longer be employed by Vantage; (b) if the employee wished to continue working at the properties, he would have to apply to Mr. Conway; (c) all prior employment terms and conditions were revoked in their entirety; (d) GVS was unilaterally setting the initial terms and conditions of any employee’s employment; (e) GVS was not hiring all employees who formerly worked at the properties; (f) employees who applied to Mr. Conway “will be hired on a temporary and trial basis to permit GVS Properties to fully assess its staffing needs” for a “ninety (90) day period;” (g) upon conclusion of the 90-day period, GVS could terminate the employee’s employment “at any time, with or without cause and without prior notice, except as may be required by law;” (h) it was anticipated that GVS would determine its hiring and staffing needs no earlier than several weeks after the conclusion of the 90-day period; and (i) the letter did not constitute an agreement or contract for employment for any specified period or definite duration.

On or about March 7, 2012, the Union made a written demand that GVS recognize and bargain with it as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of the Unit.

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904 F. Supp. 2d 282, 2012 WL 5612509, 194 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2829, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 162125, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/paulsen-ex-rel-national-labor-relations-board-v-gvs-properties-llc-nyed-2012.