Task: songer_direct1

What follows is an opinion from a United States Court of Appeals.
Your task is to determine the ideological directionality of the court of appeals decision, coded as "liberal" or "conservative". Consider liberal in suits against management, for union, individual worker, or government in suit against management; in government enforcement of labor laws, for the federal government or the validity of federal regulations; in Executive branch vs union or workers, for executive branch; in worker vs union (non-civil rights), for union; in conflicts between rival union, for union which opposed by management and "not ascertained" if neither union supported by management or if unclear; in injured workers or consumers vs management, against management; in other labor issues, for economic underdog if no civil rights issue is present; for support of person claiming denial of civil rights. Consider the directionality to be "mixed" if the directionality of the decision was intermediate to the extremes defined above or if the decision was mixed (e.g., the conviction of defendant in a criminal trial was affirmed on one count but reversed on a second count or if the conviction was afirmed but the sentence was reduced). Consider "not ascertained" if the directionality could not be determined or if the outcome could not be classified according to any conventional outcome standards.

PER CURIAM.
Respondent employer was found to have violated sections 8(a) (5) and (1) of the National Labor Relations Act by refusing to furnish the union with certain wage information and data (allegedly relevant to a grievance and/or arbitration proceeding) during the term of a collective bargaining contract which, unlike respondent’s previous agreement, had no express provision imposing such an obligation. Such an obligation, however, is normally implied as part of an employer’s general duties under the act, cf. Boston Herald-Traveler Corp. v. N. L. R. B., 1 Cir., 1955, 223 F.2d 58, and an employer cannot refuse unless there has been a “clear and unmistakable” waiver by the union. Timken Roller Bearing Co. v. N. L. R. B., 6 Cir., 1963, 325 F.2d 746; N. L. R. B. v. Item Co., 5 Cir., 220 F.2d 956, 958-59, cert. den. 350 U.S. 836, 76 S.Ct. 73, 100 L.Ed. 746; Tide Water Associated Oil Co., 1949, 85 N.L.R.B. 1096, 1098. In finding that the omission of the previous affirmative clause from the present agreement following negotiations during which respondent said it would not grant such rights was not such a waiver, the Board erroneously referred to statements (in our opinion ambiguous, at best) made by the union after the agreement had been entered into, and hence entirely immaterial. Nevertheless, we cannot say the Board’s decision was without substantial support. Where a provision would normally be implied in an agreement by operation of the act itself (but cf. Speidel Corp., 1958, 120 N.L.R.B. 733, when it is not), we think a waiver should be express, and that a mere inference, no matter how strong, should be insufficient. Cf. Timken Roller Bearing Co. v. N. L. R. B., supra. It is not necessary, to support the Board, for us to follow the case it now cites of N. L. R. B. v. Gulf Atlantic Warehouse Co., 5 Cir., 1961, 291 F.2d 475. We could not agree with the seeming suggestion in that opinion that the parol evidence rule required the waiver to be contained within the four corners of the written agreement. Cf. Rodriguez v. Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico, 1 Cir., 1960, 276 F.2d 344, 349. Nor has this been the Board’s position. Speidel Corp., supra; Berkshire Corp., 1959, 123 N.L.R.B. 685.
A decree will be entered enforcing the order of the Board.

Question: What is the ideological directionality of the court of appeals decision?
A. conservative
B. liberal
C. mixed
D. not ascertained
Answer:

Answer: B