Opinion ID: 367275
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: activity of vessel:

Text: 27 Anchortank further contends that the picketing was secondary because it occurred at a secondary entrance used exclusively by employees of ocean-going vessels and others and that the vessels were not furthering Anchortank's business, relying upon Local 761 Electric Workers (General Electric Company) v. NLRB, 366 U.S. 667, 81 S.Ct. 1285, 6 L.Ed.2d 592 (1961). General Electric Company involved picketing in furtherance of a primary dispute at a secondary entrance to the primary situs. This secondary entrance was used exclusively by the employees of independent contractors engaged to perform repair, new construction and general maintenance for the primary employer. Although the Supreme Court remanded on the factual issue of the nature of work performed by the independent contractors, it held that picketing at a gate used solely by employees of subcontractors engaged in work wholly unrelated to the normal operations of the primary target would be secondary activity proscribed by § 8(b)(4)B. 28 Assuming that petitioner is correct in contending that the ramp and the entire dock is a separate gate within the meaning of General Electric Company, Anchortank has failed to demonstrate that the vessels were performing work unrelated to Anchortank's normal business. Common sense dictates otherwise. Although Anchortank neither owns the material shipped nor engages the services of the transporting vessel, such shipping is clearly a part of its daily business, for without the access to transportation, Anchortank could not engage successfully in the business of storage of chemicals. Additionally, although Anchortank does not own the goods, Anchortank employees regularly transfer the chemicals to and from the vessels and it would be ignoring reality to hold that it is part of Anchortank's regular business to load and unload vessels for storage, but not part of Anchortank's regular course of business for the same vessels to arrive and depart. We accordingly hold that the ships arriving and departing from Dock 16 were in furtherance of Anchortank's normal business operations and that the picketing was, therefore, primary activity.