Virgin Islands Labor Union v. Caribe Construction Co.

5 V.I. 665, 1966 V.I. LEXIS 1
CourtMunicipal Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedDecember 28, 1966
DocketNo. 313-1966
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 5 V.I. 665 (Virgin Islands Labor Union v. Caribe Construction Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Municipal Court of The Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Virgin Islands Labor Union v. Caribe Construction Co., 5 V.I. 665, 1966 V.I. LEXIS 1 (vimunict 1966).

Opinion

FARRELLY, Municipal Judge

OPINION OF THE COURT

This case is on its second “go-round”, cf. Virgin Islands Labor Union v. Caribe Construction Company, 343 F.2d 364, 5 V.I. 191 (3rd Cir. 1965). It has reached this court by way of a petition, filed by the Attorney General of the Virgin Islands, for and in behalf of the Commissioner of Labor, praying for the enforcement of an order under 24 V.I.C. § 69, as amended.

On December 16, 1963, the Commissioner of Labor found that the respondent, Caribe Construction Company, was guilty of an unfair labor practice violative of the territorial [669]*669labor-management statute, 24 V.I.C. §§ 65(3), (8).1 As a consequence thereof, the Commissioner of Labor, hereinafter referred to as the Commissioner, then ordered the reinstatement of the employees in question and the payment of back wages. Respondent appealed to the District Court of the Virgin Islands whereupon, after argument, the District Court vacated the order of the Commissioner. The Commissioner then took his turn and appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Upon hearing, the United States Court of Appeals reversed the District Court to the extent that the latter court had dismissed the unfair labor practice complaint and directed the District Court to remand the record to the Commissioner of Labor “. . . so that the Deputy Commissioner . . . may make express findings on the ultimate question whether the men were dismissed because of any or all of the reasons given by the [respondent employer] or because of their labor union activity in joining the Union ...”

George H. T. Dudley, Esq., (Dudley, Hoffman and Grunert, Esqs.) appeared for respondent. Peter J. O’Dea, Esq., First Assistant Attorney General of the Virgin Islands, appeared for the Commissioner.

The single principal issue presented here for determination is whether the second order issued herein on March 29, 1966, is supported by substantial evidence as required by 24 V.I.C. § 70(b).2

[670]*670Phrased otherwise in juxtaposition, were the employees fired because they engaged in activities protected by section 65(3), (8) as the First Assistant Attorney General urges and thus entitled to reinstatement and back pay? Or, were the employees fired for causes not related to union activities, as counsel for the respondent contends, and therefore not entitled to reinstatement?

Before reaching that ultimate determination, it may be useful to state some of the rules applicable to a proceeding where, as here, an administrative official seeks the aid of this Court to enforce an order of the Commissioner of Labor which is not self-executing. The meaning of these rules is to be determined by the application of principles of construction which are settled in the Virgin Islands, Caribe Construction Company v. Penn, 5 V.I. 180, 185, 342 F.2d 964 (3rd Cir. 1965), Williams v. Dowling, 4 V.I. 465, 318 F.2d 642 (3rd Cir. 1963).

As stated before, the Labor Relations Law of the Virgin Islands provides that the findings of the Commissioner of Labor as to the facts shall be conclusive if supported by substantial evidence, 24 V.I.C. § 70(b) cf. NLRB v. Walton Mfg. Co., 44 CCH Lab. Cas. Par. 17545, 369 U.S. 404 (1962). If the Commissioner’s findings of fact are supported by substantial evidence then and in that event they are binding on this Court although the Court, on the same record, may have reached an opposite conclusion were it deciding the matter itself, Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB, 340 U.S. 474, 488, 19 CCH Lab. Cas. Par. 66191 (1951).

Substantial evidence is more than a mere scintilla; it means such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion and affords a substantial basis of fact from which the fact in issue can reasonably be inferred. NLRB v. Sun Shipbldg. Co., 6 CCH Lab. Cas. Par. 61,529, 135 F.2d 15 (1943). If supported [671]*671by substantial evidence, the Commissioner’s findings of fact are conclusive and may not be disturbed by the reviewing court, NLRB v. Columbian Enameling & Stamping Co., 1 CCH Lab. Cas. Par. 17,043, 306 U.S. 292 (1949); NLRB v. Nevada Consolidated Copper Corp., 5 CCH Lab. Cas. Par. 51,140, 316 U.S. 105 (1942).

This Court may dismiss the petition only if the evidence in the record does not rationally support the findings of the Commissioner, Rothman, The NLRB and Administrative Law, 29 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 301, 311-12 (1960). In determining from the record the real reason why the men were discharged, the Commissioner has the right to consider circumstantial evidence and draw inferences therefrom, as direct evidence is not always obtainable, NLRB v. Putnam Tool Co., 290 F.2d 663, 665 (6th Cir. 1961), see also NLRB v. Ellis & Watts Products, Inc., 297 F.2d 576 (6th Cir. 1962). It has been authoritatively established that since inferences are simply deductions from facts proven, there is no reason why a number of factual inferences may not be drawn from any fact or series of facts directly established, V.I. Labor Union v. Caribe Construction Co., 5 V.I. 191, 198, 343 F.2d 364 (3rd Cir. 1965).

In finding that there had been restraint, interference or coercion, the Commissioner drew on his experience generally, and inferred that in the circumstances detailed in the record, this type of employer conduct tends to discourage union membership. Such an inference the Commissioner is permitted to draw. Radio Officers Union v. NLRB, 347 U.S. 17, 49 (1953), NLRB v. 7-Up Bottling Co., 344 U.S. 349 (1953), NLRB v. Link Belt Co., supra, 311 U.S. 581 (1941).

That portion of the order of the Commissioner dealing with remedies has to be examined for a specific determination whether they are comprehended within the grant [672]*672of affirmative action which the Commissioner may take to effectuate the policies of the Virgin Islands Labor Relations Law, 24 V.I.C. § 68(c), NLRB v. Parkers Prairie Coop. Assn., 11 CCH Lab. Cas. Par. 63089, 154 F.2d 455 (8th Cir. 1946).

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5 V.I. 665, 1966 V.I. LEXIS 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/virgin-islands-labor-union-v-caribe-construction-co-vimunict-1966.