Opinion ID: 392028
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Loss of Majority

Text: 191 We conclude that the ALJ erred, on this record, in finding that the company's withdrawal of recognition of the union violated the Act. First, the record shows that on March 25, 1977 SGG employed 29 permanent striker replacements hired during the strike, and the strikers numbered only 22. Counting all these employees, it is clear that the replacements constituted a majority. Not only are such replacements not presumed to support the union whose picket lines they have been crossing, but in this case the great majority of the replacements testified that they in fact wanted nothing to do with Local 1516 and preferred a nonunion shop. Absent countervailing factors or the operation of some doctrine of estoppel, this objective numerical fact alone is sufficient to support the company's withdrawal of recognition of the union. 192 No such countervailing factors or constraints are present here. In contrast to the situation condemned in cases like Medo and Frick, supra, the company's unfair labor practices, discussed above, cannot be said to have caused the union's loss of majority. Rather, the strike and the company's lawful hiring of permanent striker replacements did so. The union took the risk that the strikers would be permanently replaced, and knew replacements were being hired starting in May, 1976. Having failed in its attempt to clothe its strike in the protective garment of an unfair labor practice strike, cf. NLRB v. Colonial Haven Nursing Home, supra, 542 F.2d at 706, the union must accept the consequences of its actions. 193 Furthermore, as noted above, there has been no showing that the company's actions, including those found to be unfair labor practices, were motivated by antiunion animus. Here, the majority issue was not, in the language of the Burroughs decision relied on by the ALJ, raised in the context of unfair labor practices by the Employer designed to cause disaffection with or undermine the Union's support. 180 NLRB at 332. There is no evidence that any of the four unfair labor practices that we have affirmed affected union support among either the strikers or the replacements, except for the supervisor assault, which actually enhanced union support among the strikers.