Opinion ID: 433601
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Layoff of Twelve Unit Employees.

Text: 13 According to the Company, substantial evidence does not support the Board's finding that the September 25, 1981, layoff was in retaliation for the employees' protected activity in violation of sections 8(a)(3) and (1) of the Act. The Company argues that the layoffs were for economic rather than discriminatory reasons, and contends that a Wright Line analysis should be applied in this case. Wright Line, A Division of Wright Line, Inc., 251 NLRB 1083 (1980), enforced, 662 F.2d 899 (1st Cir.1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 989, 102 S.Ct. 1612, 71 L.Ed.2d 848 (1982). Under Wright Line, when employees are discharged for both legitimate and illegitimate reasons, the general counsel must make a prima facie showing that the employees' protected activity was a motivating factor in the employer's decision. The burden then shifts to the employer to show that the same action would have taken place even in the absence of the protected conduct. Id. at 1089. See also NLRB v. Fixtures Mfg. Corp., 669 F.2d 547, 550 (8th Cir.1982). 14 The Company asserts that the Board failed to carry its initial burden because the general counsel did not show that White, the Company official responsible for the layoff decision, knew of the employees' protected activity prior to September 24 when he decided on the layoff. Rather, the evidence revealed only that Rowan made coercive and threatening statements to employees on September 23 and 24. The Company argues that no connection was shown between Rowan's remarks and White's decision, and thus the evidence was inadequate to support the conclusion that employee protected activity was a motivating factor in the layoff. The Company further contends that even if knowledge of the protected activity were imputed to White, it presented ample evidence to show that the layoff was compelled by economic considerations and would have occurred anyway. 3 The Company alleges that the Board's rejection of its economic defense was based on an arbitrary and selective view of the evidence rather than on substantial evidence drawn from the record as a whole. 15 The substantiality of evidence must take into account whatever in the record fairly detracts from its weight. Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB, supra, 340 U.S. at 488, 71 S.Ct. at 464. Moreover, that test does not mean as to matters not requiring expertise (as in this case) that a court may displace the Board's choice between two fairly conflicting views, even though the court would justifiably have made a different choice had the matter been before it de novo. Id. Thus, while this court must take into account contradictory evidence in the record, the possibility that two inconsistent conclusions may be drawn from the evidence does not mean that the Board's findings are unsupported by substantial evidence, considering the record as a whole. 16 The record supports the Board's contention that Company officials knew of and were disturbed by the frequency of such employee activities as job bidding and the filing of grievances. 4 The evidence is sufficient to conclude that the employees' protected activity was a motivating factor in the employer's decision. Moreover, the Board found unpersuasive the Company's defense that the layoff was because of lack of work. The ALJ noted that the layoff occurred while orders were increasing over the previous month, that several days' work was available at the time of the layoff, and that various employees were called upon to perform overtime work shortly after the layoff occurred. The Board adopted the ALJ's conclusion that the Company's economic rationale was a pretext to conceal discriminatory motives. Thus, while the Company concededly made a significant showing that the layoff was for economic reasons, we cannot say that the Board's decision to the contrary was unsupported by substantial evidence based on the record as a whole. 17