Opinion ID: 184887
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Representation Proceeding

Text: 2 Saipan is a beachfront resort hotel operating on the island of Saipan in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). 1 On August 2, 1995 the Commonwealth Labor Federation and Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees, Local 5, AFL-CIO (Union) filed a representation petition with the Board, seeking certification as the representative of Saipan's employees. The parties entered into an Election Agreement, stipulating that the Board had jurisdiction and that the appropriate bargaining unit consisted of all hotel employees. 3 After changing counsel, apparently due to original counsel's inexperience[ ] in NLRA matters, Pet'r Br. at 3, Saipan sought to withdraw from the stipulated election agreement and requested a representation hearing. In its motion, it asserted inter alia that the Board lacked jurisdiction over its nonresident contract workers. 2 The NLRB's Regional Director (RD) denied Saipan's motion, finding that no changed circumstances justified withdrawal from the Election Agreement and that the Board had previously asserted jurisdiction over nonresidents working in the CNMI. See Micro Pac. Dev., Inc., No. 37-RC-3720 (Sept. 20, 1995) (Order Den. Employer's Mot. to Withdraw From Stipulated Election Agreement & Req. for Representation Hr'g), Joint Appendix (JA) 17-21. Saipan sought Board review of the RD's decision. 4 On October 5, pursuant to the Election Agreement, the Board conducted a representation election among Saipan's employees. From a total of 84 eligible employees, 49 voted for unionization and 24 voted against. Three ballots were challenged, a number insufficient to affect the results. 5 Saipan subsequently filed four objections. The first three objections asserted that the Board lacked jurisdiction over nonresident workers and that, even if the Board had jurisdiction, nonresident workers were ineligible to vote in the election and could not be included in a bargaining unit with resident employees. In the fourth objection, Saipan claimed that supervisors engaged in coercive pro-union conduct requiring the election to be set aside. 6 On January 24, 1996 the Board denied Saipan's request to review the RD's denial of its motion to withdraw from the Election Agreement, holding that the jurisdictional issues were raised by Saipan in its election objections and that the denial of its request for review was without prejudice to the right to pursue its argument in the representation litigation. On February 22 the RD overruled Saipan's election objections. See Micro Pac., No. 37-RC-3720 (Feb. 22, 1996) (Rep. on Objections), JA 45-51. After Saipan filed exceptions, the Board ordered a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ) on Saipan's allegations of supervisory pro-union conduct. Relying solely on the Election Agreement, the Board also adopted the RD's finding that the Board had jurisdiction over the nonresident employees. See Micro Pac., No. 37-RC-3720 (June 24, 1996) (Decision & Order Directing Hr'g), JA 113-15. 7 On July 31, 1997 the ALJ overruled Saipan's objection alleging coercive conduct by supervisors. The ALJ found that Edwin Melon, Paquito Gonzales, Reynaldo Rojas and Sesinando Laderas were employees rather than supervisors and thus that their pro-union conduct was not objectionable. In the alternative, the ALJ found that Rojas's and Laderas's pro-union conduct was insufficient to materially affect the election results but that, if Melon and Gonzales were found by the Board to be supervisors, their conduct materially affected the election. See Micro Pac., No. 37-RC-3720 (July 30, 1997) (ALJ's Decision), JA 116-46. The Board fully adopted the ALJ's findings and recommendation and certified the Union. Because the Board affirmed the ALJ's findings that the four individuals were employees, the Board found it unnecessary to pass on the judge's alternative findings. 3 Micro Pac., No. 37-RC-3720 at 2 n.2 (Mar. 26, 1998) (Decision & Certification of Representative), JA 195.