Opinion ID: 766037
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Pre-Election Polling

Text: 26 Although pre-election polling by the union is not inherently coercive, an employer may successfully challenge a representation election if he shows that pre-election polling was coercive and in fact influenced the result of the election. Kusan Manufacturing Co. v. NLRB, 749 F.2d 362, 365 (6th Cir. 1984)(citing NLRB v. Claxton Manufacturing Co., 613 F.2d 1364 (5th Cir. 1980)); see also Keeler, 185 F.3d at 538 (Nevertheless, an employer may successfully challenge a representation election if he shows that pre-election polling by the union in fact was coercive and in fact influenced the result of the election.) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). An employer is prohibited from conducting a pre-election poll at all. See Keeler Die, supra at 538. In Keeler Die, where we held that no showing of coercion had been made, the union maintained that it attempted through the pre-election poll [a vote YES campaign] to gauge accurately the UAW's chances of ultimate success. Id. Furthermore, there were no misrepresentations made in order to get more employees to sign the authorization card, as occurred here. A far higher percentage of eligible workers voted in Keeler Die; the election was not nearly as close; and the language on the petition was materially different. We hold that there was a prima facie showing of coercion here by the Union in its pre-election polling activities. 27 In cases where the circumstances were far less suspect, evidentiary hearings were granted to the employers by the Board. See Keeler Die Cast, supra; Kusan, supra; Heinz Pet Products v. NLRB, 156 F.3d 1229, 1998 WL 449771 (6th Cir. 1998) (unpublished) (timing not as close to the election as that here; employer countered the misrepresentation; election not as close); NLRB v. J.P. Transportation Co., Inc., 172 F.3d 49, 1998 WL 869984 (6th Cir. 1998) (unpublished) (election not as close; misrepresentation made to only a few employees); Detroit Auto Auction, Inc. v. NLRB, 1999 WL 435160 (6th Cir. 1999) (unpublished) (election not as close; no allegations of misrepresentations, only vote-buying); Shrader's, supra (election not as close; no allegations of misrepresentations, only coercion); Maremont, supra; see also NLRB v. Dickinson Press, Inc., 153 F.3d 282, 284 (6th Cir. 1998); NLRB v. Pinkerton's, Inc., 621 F.2d 1322, 1325 (6th Cir. 1980)). Thus, evidentiary hearings have been routinely granted to investigate allegations far less serious than those that were made here. Furthermore, the regional director nor the Board engaged in the type of analysis of the circumstances in this case that is required. In Maremont, we made reference to the specific findings of the hearing officer that conducted a hearing involving circumstances similar to, but distinguishable from, 12 the present case. Indeed, we evenstated in Maremont that we look to the facts of the present case to determine whether the petition in question in fact interfered with the employees' free and fair choice. Maremont, supra at 578. As in Shrader's, 928 F.2d at 198, the company did not receive a fair opportunity to present its case. Thus, just as we did in Shrader's, we find that the objections and supporting affidavits submitted by the company made out a prima facie case for invalidating the election; therefore, no matter what evidence the regional director's 'investigation' produced, the company had clearly demonstrated that substantial and material facts were in dispute, and that proper resolution of the dispute demanded an evidentiary hearing. Id.