Opinion ID: 415240
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Master Mechanic's Position.

Text: 26 The Union's second argument is an adjunct to its first; it likewise attempts to avoid the ineluctable. The Union contends that Hayes' recommendation of Sherman Allen for the master mechanic's job did not constitute an unfair labor practice even though Allen had less list seniority than Honey. In support of this argument the Union alleges first, that it presented ample explanation why Allen was referred rather than Honey, and second, that the position is in any event supervisory and thus not covered by the Act. 27 We find no merit in either of these contentions. First, the Union has in fact offered no explanation why Honey was overlooked. In light of Honey's experience as a master mechanic, including his work for the very same employer to whom Allen was referred, we cannot accept the Union's bare assertion that a plausible reason supports Honey's exclusion. Second, although the master mechanic's job is supervisory and therefore not the literal subject of the Act, the Union nonetheless engaged in a practice which the Act prohibits. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the Union had a clear right to recommend an individual to perform the job. Notwithstanding that the incident involved a supervisor's job, the Union's action was clearly in retaliation for Honey's exercise of his rights to dissent from the Union's unreasonable demands. As a longstanding union member and hiring hall applicant, Honey depended on the hiring hall primarily for nonsupervisory jobs. The effect of the Union's discriminatory act clearly carried over to intimidate Honey as a statutory employee. Therefore, the Union violated Honey's protected rights as an employee when it denied him employment in a supervisory position. See NLRB v. Local Union No. 725, Plumbers, 572 F.2d 550, 552-53 (5th Cir.1978), citing Plumbers Local 137 (Homes Construction & Equipment Co.), 207 NLRB 359 (1973). Accordingly, we find no merit in the second contention. 28