Opinion ID: 771581
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Good Faith and Length of Negotiations

Text: 44 We accept the view of the ALJ and the Board that, prior to the uni- lateral implementation of its final contract offer, Grinnell bargained in good faith with the Union. 9 See AMF Bowling, 63 F.3d at 1299. In AMF, we stated that good faith is a powerful fact weighing in the employer's favor, from which we may infer that[the employer] made a bona fide effort to reach agreement. Id. However, section 8(a)(5) of the Act can be violated by an employerwithout also find- ing the employer guilty of over-all subjective bad faith. Katz, 369 U.S. at 747. 45 Although Grinnell bargained with the Union in good faith, on April 12, 1994, against the background of the agreement reached between the Union and NFSA (and Grinnell's understanding of the consequences of that agreement), the negotiations between Grinnell and the Union clearly changed. Notwithstanding that Preuett had been bar- gaining on behalf of the Union for only two weeks, and in that period significant progress had been made, Grinnell was unwilling to negotiate further. During Preuett's stewardship, there were only four bar- gaining sessions, totalling no more than 13 hours of actual bargaining with much of the 4-hour session on March 30 devoted to introductions and general discussion. Grinnell, 328 N.L.R.B. No. 76 at 13. 10 46 Of course, the limited duration of the relevant negotiations does not, standing alone, contravene our conclusion that Grinnell negotiated in good faith until April 13, 1994, when it unilaterally implemented its final contract offer. See, e.g., Lou Stecher's Super Markets, 275 N.L.R.B. 475, 476-77 (1985) (good faith impasse existed after only three bargaining sessions). However, the brevity of the relevant bargaining period gives the factual determination that no impasse existed -- made by both the ALJ and the Board-- a pronounced appearance of reasonableness.