Opinion ID: 1931324
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: a ) Application of the standards as reflected in the Board's Findings of Fact and Decision.

Text: The statute requires the board of arbitration to make written findings of fact and requires that it base its findings of fact, decision and order upon the five standards therein set forth. Surely this means that all of the standards are to be given consideration by the Board so far as applicable to the matters in dispute. In determining the question of wages, for instance, obviously one of the five standards would be an insufficient criterion upon which to base an award, and yet a reading of the Board's Findings of Fact and Decision on this issue seems to indicate that the Board based its award of an increase in the wage rates solely upon standard No. 5 and relied heavily upon trends. The Company criticises the Board's consideration of trends as a basis for the wage award. We agree that trends do not constitute proper items to be considered in arriving at a just and reasonable determination of a labor dispute. The objective of the proceedings provided for in the statute is to consider, by an application of the standards delineated therein to the evidence, the justness and reasonableness of the wages, in the particular labor dispute, existing at the time of the dispute and to make a determination accordingly. The employment of trends in the attainment of the objective is considered improper because trends are illusory. A trend is defined in Webster's New International Dictionary, 2d edition, 1947, as the general direction taken by something changing or subject to change. A trend may change its direction at any time. If it progresses in one direction for a sufficient length of time it becomes more than a trend; it becomes an established thing which would be reflected in the existing conditions disclosed by the application of the standards specified in the statute, particularly standards Nos. 2 and 3. To predicate a determination of what is just and reasonable, at the time a labor dispute is being resolved, upon something which has not as yet become established, but which, if established at some future time might possibly change existing conditions, either one way or the other, would be manifestly unfair to both parties involved in the dispute. Standards Nos. 2 and 3 contemplate a comparison of existing wages, but these two standards were not given consideration in the Board's findings, as is indicated by the language of the Board that  We are also satisfied that a `comparison of wages' as required by Standards 2 and 3 involves not a static examination of the then existing wage structure particularly in an industry in which reasonably accurate comparison with other industry is admittedly not too illuminating, even as to the telephone industry itself. We are informed (Record, p. 1471) that negotiations with respect to wages are pending in every unit of the Bell System at the present writing. It appears to the Board that the illogical conclusion of the static construction of the word `wages' urged upon us would be that the employees here involved could get no wage increase, however much it might be otherwise justified, and however probable it might be that shortly after our determination other units of the Bell System might grant substantial adjustments covering the period here under consideration, merely because this Company happens to be the first to be involved in such a proceeding. We have, therefore, concluded that we are entitled to consider wage movements in other industries for the period since May, 1948. The province of the Board is to apply the standards prescribed by the statute and after such application to reach a conclusion based thereon. This the Board has not done, but has excluded the consideration of some of the required standards. The United States Supreme Court refused to sustain an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission adjusting rates where the Commission failed to consider the items definitely specified in the Transportation Act. Brimstone R. & C. Co. v. United States, 276 U.S. 104, 72 L.Ed. 487 (1928).