Saratoga Harness Racing Ass'n v. New York State Labor Relations Board

2 Misc. 2d 440, 153 N.Y.S.2d 488, 1956 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1734
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 5, 1956
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 2 Misc. 2d 440 (Saratoga Harness Racing Ass'n v. New York State Labor Relations Board) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Saratoga Harness Racing Ass'n v. New York State Labor Relations Board, 2 Misc. 2d 440, 153 N.Y.S.2d 488, 1956 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1734 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1956).

Opinion

Charles M. Hughes, J.

The Saratoga Harness Racing Association (hereinafter referred to as the petitioner) has moved pursuant to section 707 of the New York State Labor Relations Act (Labor Law, art. 20) (hereinafter referred to as the act) to vacate an order of the New York State Labor Relations Board (hereinafter referred to as the board) made pursuant to section 706 of the act. The board by cross motion has petitioned for the enforcement of the order.

A short resume of the proceedings will be helpful. The proceedings before the board were two in kind. The first was a representation proceeding under section 705 of the act for the purpose of determining whether or not petitioner’s employees desired to be represented by Sports Arena employees, Local 263, International Hod Carriers, Building and Common Laborers Union of America, A. F. of L. (hereinafter referred to as the union). This proceeding was brought by the petitioner and was designated as case No. CU-919 by the board. The second proceeding involved a charge of unfair labor practices against the petitioner. This case was designated as No. CEE-928. Both of these proceedings were consolidated.

The consolidated hearings before the trial examiner designated by the board were voluminous in nature. The trial examiner’s intermediate report was issued on March 18, 1955. The petitioner filed exceptions thereto on April 29, 1955, oral argument thereon was heard by the board on June 15 and 16, 1955, and on August 18, 1955, the board rendered its decision, findings of fact and conclusions of law. The board’s decision, with minor exceptions, affirmed that of the trial examiner. The matter was then noticed by the petitioner for a special term of this court on September 13, 1955, and was adjourned by consent and request of the parties from time to time until it was argued on February 21 and 22, 1956.

The board found after a review of the evidence that the petitioner had discharged one Norman McAllister and refused to employ, or continue to employ, a number of others, because of their union activities and affiliations; that the petitioner had refused to bargain collectively with the union; and that petitioner had interfered with, restrained and coerced its employees in the exercise of their rights under the act.

[442]*442The order of the board directed the petitioner to cease and desist from its unfair labor practices, to reinstate the discharged employee with back pay, to offer reinstatement to the employees whose employment petitioner had refused to continue, and to make them whole for any net losses and earnings they may have sustained; to bargain collectively in good faith with the union; and to post a copy of the board’s order together with a notice in a form therein specified.

The three basic issues presented to this court by the petitioner’s motion are briefly: (1) whether the board’s decision and orders are supported by substantial evidence; (2) whether the exclusion of certain testimony and an affidavit made by one McAllister materially prejudiced the petitioner’s defense or the presentation of its own case; and (3) whether the petitioner was denied due process of law.

A factual review of the entire proceeding which contains several thousands of pages would serve no purpose here.

The judicial review of the determinations of the New York State Labor Relations Board is limited by statutory provision. Subdivision 2 of section 707 of the act provides, in part, “ The findings of the board as to the facts, if supported by the evidence, shall be conclusive.” That there was conflicting evidence in the record was not unusual or unexpected. The function and duty of weighing such evidence was on the board. The mere fact that this court may have arrived at a different conclusion or that others may have differed with the findings of the board does not mean that there is no evidence in the record to support the board’s findings. The-board, by the same token, can reject evidence where it finds that such evidence could not be contradicted, or that the inherent probabilities furnish good reason for the rejection. A case with striking similarity is Matter of Stork Restaurant v. Boland (282 N. Y. 256). On the question as to whether a finding is supported by the evidence, a unanimous court stated (p. 274): “ There is often greater difficulty in applying the test than in formulating it. The evidence produced by one party must be considered in connection with the evidence produced by the other parties. Evidence which unexplained might be conclusive may lose all probative force when supplemented and explained by other testimony. The Board must consider and sift all the evidence — accepting the true and rejecting the false — and must base inferences on what it has accepted as true.”

An examination of the whole record reveals that the findings of fact are supported by the evidence. It would have been [443]*443improper for the board to consider isolated, piecemeal parts of the record that may have been favorable to one side or the other. Substantial evidence cannot be found in such a treatment as the petitioner wishes this court to undertake in reviewing the action of the board. The evidence has provided the board with a full picture of the situation.

The board was the trier of the fact and it had made its findings which cannot be disturbed without some reason that is more persuading than a difference of opinion as to what the findings could have been.

The court in Matter of Stork Restaurant v. Boland (supra) further stated (p. 267): “ Where there is conflict in the testimony produced before the Board, where reasonable men might differ as to whether the testimony of one witness should be accepted or the testimony of another witness be rejected, where from the evidence either of two conflicting inferences may be drawn, the duty of weighing the evidence and making the choice rests solely upon the Board. The courts may not weigh the evidence or reject the choice made by the Board where the evidence is conflicting and room for choice exists. (Cf. National Labor Relations Bd. v. Waterman S. S. Co., 309 U. S. 206, decided unanimously by United States Supreme Court, Feb. 12, 1940.) ” At page 274, the court went on to say: “ Choice lies with the Board and its finding is supported by the evidence and is conclusive where others might reasonably make the same choice. (Cf. Matter of Metropolitan Life Ins. Co. v. N. Y. State Labor Relations Board, 280 N. Y. 194.) ”

An examination of the record has revealed that the board’s findings of fact are based on substantial evidence and as such, they are conclusive upon this court. (Matter of Holland v. Edwards, 307 N. Y. 38; Matter of Jernigen v. New York State Labor Relations Bd., 300 N. Y. 482; Matter of Humphrey v. State Insurance Fund, 298 N. Y. 327; Matter of Kilgus v. Board of Estimate, 308 N. Y. 620.)

The petitioner’s second major contention is that it was materially prejudiced in the presentment of its case by the board’s refusal to accept in evidence an affidavit of Norman McAllister, one of the union organizers, which allegedly would have impeached his testimony.

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Related

Sports Arena Employees v. New York State Labor Relations Board
25 Misc. 2d 629 (New York Supreme Court, 1960)

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Bluebook (online)
2 Misc. 2d 440, 153 N.Y.S.2d 488, 1956 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1734, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/saratoga-harness-racing-assn-v-new-york-state-labor-relations-board-nysupct-1956.