Source: https://case-law.vlex.com/vid/329-f-2d-200-595459298
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 15:13:54+00:00

Document:
329 F.2d 200 (4th Cir. 1964), 8917, Singer Sewing Mach. Co. v. N. L. R. B.
Party Name: SINGER SEWING MACHINE COMPANY, Petitioner, v. NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Respondent.
Edward W. Scully, New York City (Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts, New York City, W. Francis Marion, and Haynsworth, Perry, Bryant, Marion & Johnstone, Greenville, S.C., and Neil F. Twomey, New York City, on brief), for petitioner.
Lee M. Modjeska, Attorney, N.L.R.B. (Arnold Ordman, General Counsel, Dominick L. Manoli, Associate General Counsel, Marcel Mallet-Prevost, Asst. General Counsel, and Warren M. Davison, Attorney, N.L.R.B., on brief), for respondent.
Before SOBELOFF, Chief Judge, BOREMAN, Circuit Judge, and WINTER, District Judge.
Petitioner, Singer Sewing Machine Company (hereafter 'Singer'), seeks, pursuant to § 10(f) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 160(f), to set aside an order of the National Labor Relations Board (hereafter 'Board'), that Singer cease and desist from refusing to bargain collectively with Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, Local 101, AFL-CIO (hereafter 'Union'), as the exclusive representative of employees of Singer's Pittsburgh City District retail shops, and that Singer take certain affirmative remedial steps related thereto. The Board, pursuant to § 10(e) of the Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 160(e), prays that its order be enforced in full.
The order to be reviewed, officially reported in 140 N.L.R.B., No. 97, is the outgrowth of a representation proceeding wherein the Board determined the appropriate bargaining unit, conducted an election, and certified the Union as the exclusive representative for certain employees. The representation proceeding is not officially reported. Singer refused to bargain so as to be in a position to challenge the validity of the certification, and this refusal served as a basis for a finding that Singer had engaged in an unfair labor practice and resulted in the cease and desist order referred to above. By § 9(d) of the Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 159(d), the representation proceeding is subject to judicial review as a part of the review afforded an order based upon the finding of an unfair labor practice.
contends that during the unfair labor practice hearing it was improperly prevented from producing evidence to show that the controlling factor in the determination of the Pittsburgh City District as the appropriate bargaining unit was the extent to which the employees had organized, in violation of § 9(c)(5) of the Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 159(c)(5).
We determine, first, whether the record, excluding any consideration of the evidence proffered by Singer to support its second contention, would support the determination that the Pittsburgh City District is an appropriate bargaining unit. Our function is not, as Singer apparently suggests, to determine what other units could be considered as appropriate ones, or what unit we in the first instance, would fix were the decision to be ours. Our function is to determine whether there has been a misapplication of law, lack of substantial evidence, or abuse of discretion in the determination made by the Board. If none of the latter are found, the Board's determination must stand, for it is the Board which has the discretion and the responsibility for deciding whether a unit is appropriate for purposes of collective bargaining; and its determination, if supported by substantial evidence and within the bounds of law, is binding on us, General Instrument Corporation v. N.L.R.B., 319 F.2d 420 (4 Cir. 1963); N.L.R.B. v. Quaker City Life Insurance Company, 319 F.2d 690 (4 Cir. 1963).
is responsible to the Sales Supervisor and to the General Agent.
The Pittsburgh City District, the unit found to be appropriate by the Board, consists of eight retail stores, six of which are within the City of Pittsburgh and two in suburban communities immediately adjacent thereto. It is part of the Southern Division of the Pittsburgh Agency. Until the commencement of these proceedings there has been no history of collective bargaining for any of the employees of the Pittsburgh City District or the Pittsburgh Agency.

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