T hi s di s pos i t i on i s notappr opr i a t e f orpubl i c a t i on and i s notpr e c e de nt * e xc e pta s pr ovi de d by9th C i r . R . 36- 3. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS FOR T HE NI NTH CI RC UI T NEVA DA SE RVI CE EM PL OY EE S UN I ON , L OC AL 1 1 0 7 , S E I U, P et i t i on er , v. NA T I ON AL L AB ORR E L AT I ON S B OA R D, R e s p o n d e n t, VA L L E Y H OS P I T AL ME DI C AL C E N T E R I N C ., R e a l P artyin I n te r e s t. N o. 08- 70234 N L R B N o. 351 N L R B N o. 88 ME MOR AN DU M *

VA L L E Y H OS P I T AL ME DI C AL C E N T E R I N C ., P et i t i on er , v. NA T I ON AL L AB ORR E L AT I ON S B OA R D, N o. 08- 70793 N L R B N o. 28- C A - 21047 

# FI LED NO V 17 2009 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U . S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS- 2-

R e s p o n d e n t. NA T I ON AL L AB ORR E L AT I ON S B OA R D, P et i t i on er , v. VA L L E Y H OS P I T AL ME DI C AL C E N T E R I N C ., R e s p o n d e n t. N o. 08- 71242 N L R B N o. 28- C A - 21047

O n P e t i t i ons f

orR e vi e w of

a n O r de rof

the N at i on alL abor R el at i on s B oard A r gue d and S ubm i tt e d O c t obe r7, 2009

P a s a d e n a , C a lif

o rn ia B efo re: H A L L , W . F L E T C H E R , an dC L IF T O N , C i rcu i tJu d g es. P et i t i on er s N evada S ervi ce E m pl oyee s U ni on , L ocal11 07 (the “ U ni on ”) , and V al l eyH ospi t alM edi ca l C ent er , Inc. (“ V al l eyH ospi t al ”) se ek re vi ew of a f i nal order of the re spon dentN at i on alL abor R el at i on s B oard (the “ B oard”), i n w hi ch the B oar d f

ound tha tV a l l e yH os pi t a l vi ol a t e d s e c t i ons 8( a ) ( 1) a nd ( 3) of the N at i o n al L ab o r R el at i o n s A ct(th e “N L R A ”) b y d i sch arg i n g o n e o f i t s em p l o yees, re g istere dn u rs e a n du n io n stew ar dJo an W ells, fo r c riti cizin g V alley H o sp it al’s- 3-

nur s e w orkl oa ds . T he H os pi t a l c ont e nds tha tN ur s e W e l l s ’ s c om pl a i nt s w e r e not p r o te c te db yth e N L R A , an dth e U n io n c o n te n d s th a t th e B o ar dab u s e dits di s c r e t i on byr e f

us i ng t o or de rr e s c i s s i on of V a l l e yH os pi t a l ' s C om m uni c a t i on P ol i c yort o or de re l e c tr oni c di s s e m i na t i on of the not i c e of

vi ol a t i on. T h e B o ar dc r o s s - p e titio n s f o re n f o r c e m e n t o f

its o r d e r . T h is C o u rt h a s ju r is d ic tio n p u r s u an t to 2 9 U .S .C . § § 1 6 0 ( e ) a n d( f ) . W e d e n yth e p e titio n s f

o rr e v ie w a n dg r an t th e B o ar d ’s p e titio n f o re n f o r c e m e n t. I. N u r s e W e lls w a s te rm in a te db yV a lle yH o s p ita l b e c au s e o f th r e e s ta te m e n ts she m ade r egar di ng prob l em s w i th st af fi ng l evel s atV al l eyH ospi t al . T he part i es do no tdi sput e thatthe st at em ent s w er e r el at ed t o an o ng oi ng l abor di sput e. A n em pl oyee ’ s s t at em ent s are prot ec t ed un der s ec t i on 7 o f the N L R A i f they a r e r e l a t e d t o an ongoi ng l abordi s put e a nd ar e not“ s o di s l oy a l , r e c kl e s s , or m al i ci ou sl y untrue a s t o l ose the A ct ’ s prot ec t i on . ” E m arco, Inc. , 2 8 4 N . L. R. B. 8 3 2 , 8 3 3 ( 1 9 8 7 ) ; See 2 9 U .S .C . § 1 5 7 . U n d e rs e c tio n 8 o f th e N L R A , it is a n u n f

a ir lab o rp r a c tic e f

o ra n e m p lo y e r“to in te r f e r e w ith , r e s tr a in , o rc o e r c e e m p lo y e e s in the e xe r c i s e of

r i ght s guar ant e e d i n [ s e c t i on 7] , ” 29 U . S . C . § 158( a ) ( 1) , or di s c r i m i na t e i n r e gar d t o anyt e rm orc ondi t i on of e m pl oy m e ntt o di s c our a ge m em bers hi p i n a un i on . 29 U . S . C . § 1 58 (a )( 3). T hi s c ou rtup ho l ds a B oard- 4-

de c i s i on “ w he n s ubs t ant i a l e vi de nc e s upport s i t s f i ndi ngs of

f a c ta nd w he n the agencyappl i es the l aw corr ec t l y. ” Se v e rv . NL RB , 23 1 F . 3d 11 56 , 11 64 (9th C i r. 2 0 0 0 ) . S ub stan ti al ev id en ce su p p o rts th e B o ar d ’s d eterm in atio n th at W ells’s s t a t e m e nt s r e gar di ng V a l l e yH os pi t a l s t a f f i ng l e ve l s w e r e notknow i ngl yor reck l essl y fal se, g i v en h er reaso n ab l e rel i an ce o n h er o w n o b serv at i o n s, in f o rm a tio n f

r o m o th e rn u r s e s , an dh e rr e a s o n ab le in f e r e n c e s th e r e f

r o m . E m ar c o, Inc. , 2 8 4 N .L .R .B . at 8 3 3 -3 4 . T h e B o ar dalso p ro p er ly ad d re ss ed w h eth erW ells’s s ta te m e n ts a m o u n te dto u n p r o te c te dd is lo y a lty , an ds ub s tan tia l e v id e n c e s up p o rts i t s f i ndi ngs tha tthe ydi d notbe c aus e : ( 1) the r e w a s a n undi s put e d c onne c t i on be tw e e n he rs t a t e m e nt s a nd the ongoi ng l abordi s put e ; ( 2) he rs t a t e m e nt s c a l l e d f or i m pr ove d w orki ng c ondi t i ons a tV a l l e yH os pi t a l ; ( 3) the s t a t e m e nt s w e r e not s tr a te g ic a llytim e dto h arm V a lle yH o s p ita l du r in g ac r itic a l m o m e n t in its bu si ness ; (4) N urse W el l s di d n otbrea ch i m po rt antconfi dences ; and (5) there w as n o o b v io u s in te n t to h arm V a lle yH o s p ita l. Se e N L R B v . L oc al

U ni on N o. 1229, I nt 'l B hd. of E le c . W orke rs ( J e f f e rs on Standard) , 346 U . S . 464, 471, 475–78 ( 1 9 5 3 ) ; S i e rra Pu b l ’

gCo . v . NL RB , 88 9 F . 2d 21 0, 21 7 (9th C i r. 19 89 ). T h is c a s e is d is tin g u is h ab le f r o m c a s e s r e lie dup o n b yV a lle yH o s p ita l. See En d i c o t t I n te r c o n n e c t

Te c h s . , I n c . v . NL RB , 453 F . 3d 532, 537 ( D . C . C i r . 2006)- 5-

(d en yin g en fo rc em en t w h er e B o ar dfa il ed to ad d re ss w h eth erem p lo ye e’s s ta te m e n ts w e r e “d e tr im e n ta llyd is lo y a l” ) ; St. L uke ’s E pis c opal- P r es by te r i an Ho s p s . , I n c . v . NL RB , 268 F . 3d 575, 579- 80 ( 8th C i r . 2001) ( de ny i ng e nf or c e m e nt w he r e B oar d f

a i l e d t o a ddr e s s w he the re m pl oy e e “ f a l s e l ya nd publ i c l ydi s par a ge [ d] h e re m p lo y e ro rits p r o du c ts a n ds e rv ic e s ” ) . B e c au s e s ub s tan tia l e v id e n c e s up p o rts the B oar d’ s e xpl i c i tf

i ndi ngs tha tW e l l s ’ s s t a t e m e nt s w e r e notdi s l oy a l , r e c kl e s s or m a l i c i ous l yf

a l s e , the B oar d pr ope r l yc onc l ude d tha tN ur s e W e l l s ’ s di s c har ge v i o l a t e dth e NL R A. II. T h is c o u rt r e v ie w s th e B o ar d ’s c h o ic e o f r e m e d yf

o ra n ab u s e o f

d is c r e tio n . Seve r , 231 F . 3d a t1165. T he l aw f ul ne s s of V a l l e yH os pi t a l ’ s C om m uni c a t i ons P ol i c yw a s notf

ul l yl i t i ga t e d be f

or e the A dm i ni s tr a t i ve L aw Judge orthe B oar d, a n dth e r e f

o r e th e B o ar dd idn o t ab u s e its d is c r e tio n in r e f u s in g to o r d e rits r e s c is s io n . Se e Hi - T

e c h Cable C or

p. , 31 8 N . L . R . B . 28 0, 28 0 (19 95 ). T he B oard a ls o d idn o t ab u s e its d is c r e tio n in r e f u s in g to o r d e rV a lle yH o s p ita l to in d iv idu a lly e m a i l i t s e m pl oy e e s not i c e of the N L R A vi ol a t i on, be c aus e the r e c or d doe s not s p e a kto th e c u s to m aryn a tu r e o f V a lle yH o s p ita l’s e m a il c o m m u n ic a tio n to its e m p lo y e e s . See N

o rd stro m , In c. & U

n i te H ere , 347 N . L . R . B . 294, 294 ( 2006) (denyi ng re qu es tfor not i ce t o b e post ed t o em pl oyer ’ s i ntranetw ebsi t e i n absence- 6-

o f e v id e n c e th a t e m p lo y e rc u s to m ar ilyu s e dth e in tr an e t to c o m m u n ic a te w ith em pl oyee s) . III. F or these re as on s, w e DE NY V a l l e yH os pi t a l ’ s a nd the U ni on’ s pe t i t i ons f or r e vi e w and G R A N T th e B o ar d ’s p e titio n f o re n f o r c e m e n t.