Opinion ID: 341670
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Propriety of the Bargaining Unit Designation.

Text: 3 The Company first contends the Board's bargaining order was not proper because the unit for which the Union requested recognition was inappropriate. The Company operates a chain of discount department stores in various states revolving around a central distribution center in Fridley, Minnesota. Working within the distribution center are warehouse, maintenance, traffic, computer, accounting and other clerical employees. The Board's regional director, whose determination was later affirmed by the Board, decided in favor of a separate bargaining unit of warehouse and maintenance employees. In the Company's view, the smallest appropriate unit should have constituted all warehouse clerical employees, particularly traffic employees 2 who were not included in the unit. 4 The Board has broad discretion under section 9(b) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 159(b), in determining the appropriate bargaining unit because of its special expertise. Allied Chemical Workers v. Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., 404 U.S. 157, 171, 92 S.Ct. 383, 30 L.Ed.2d 341 (1971); N.L.R.B. v. Crystal Tire Co., 410 F.2d 916, 919 (8th Cir. 1969). The Board's choice of an appropriate unit should be upheld if there is substantial evidence upon the record as a whole to support the Board's determination and unless the Board acted arbitrarily or capriciously. Universal Camera Corp. v. N.L.R.B., 340 U.S. 474, 490-91, 71 S.Ct. 456, 95 L.Ed. 456 (1951); Packard Motor Car Co. v. N.L.R.B., 330 U.S. 485, 491-92, 67 S.Ct. 789, 91 L.Ed. 1040 (1947); N.L.R.B. v. Hoerner-Waldorf Corp., 525 F.2d 805, 807-08 (8th Cir. 1975); Stephens Produce Co. v. N.L.R.B., 515 F.2d 1373, 1378 (8th Cir. 1975). 5 In ascertaining the scope of an appropriate unit, permissible factors to be considered include company organization, physical distribution of employees, supervision, job functions, skills, wages, working conditions and collective bargaining history. See, e. g., Wil-Kil Pest Control Co. v. N.L.R.B., 440 F.2d 371, 375 (7th Cir. 1971). After reviewing the record, we conclude that the Board did not commit an abuse of discretion in designating a bargaining unit including warehouse and maintenance employees and excluding traffic and other clerical employees. Substantial evidence supports the regional director's determination that there is physical, functional and supervisory separation between the clerical employees, such as the traffic department, as compared to the warehouse and maintenance employees which were included in the bargaining unit. 3 See Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. v. N.L.R.B., 313 U.S. 146, 153, 61 S.Ct. 908, 85 L.Ed. 1251 (1941); N.L.R.B. v. Gerbes Super Markets, Inc., 436 F.2d 19, 22 (8th Cir. 1971). 6