Opinion ID: 186698
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The National Labor Relations Act

Text: 16 Fashion Valley does not challenge the Board's position that maintenance of the anti-boycott rule violated § 8(a)(1) if the rule also violated the laws of California (of which more later). The Company does, however, contest the Board's further determination that Fashion Valley violated the Act a second time when it enforced Rule 5.6.2 by conditioning the Union's demonstration upon its adherence to the Rule. In Fashion Valley's view, there is simply not substantial evidence the Union intended to boycott Robinsons-May or any other Mall tenant; therefore the Union would have received a permit had it applied for one. Further to this point, Fashion Valley argues that because its permit application does not highlight Rule 5.6.2, which only consumes three of the 71 lines included in Article 5, the Board cannot reasonably infer the Union based its refusal to apply for a permit on Rule 5.6.2 nor, hence, that the rule interfered with § 7 rights. 17 The Board argues that Fashion Valley interfered with the employees' § 7 rights when it sought to force the Union members to forgo a lawful method of protest. If the Board correctly understands that under California law Fashion Valley did not have the right to exclude the demonstrators, then, the Board maintains, the Mall violated § 8(a)(1). 18 We agree with the Board. Although Fashion Valley is correct that there is not substantial evidence the Union intended to boycott any of the Mall's tenants, nothing in the Act prohibits the Union from carrying out a secondary boycott by means of peaceful handbilling. Edward J. DeBartolo Corp. v. Fla. Gulf Coast Bldg. & Constr. Trades Council, 485 U.S. 568, 583-87, 108 S.Ct. 1392, 99 L.Ed.2d 645 (1988). In subjecting the Union to a permit process that required it to forswear use of this lawful tactic, therefore, Fashion Valley interfered with the employees' rights under § 7 of the Act. That Rule 5.6.2 comprised only three lines of text is irrelevant; it imposed an unlawful condition for obtaining a permit. Enforcement of Rule 5.6.2 therefore violated § 8(a)(1) — unless, that is, the Company had the right under California constitutional law to exclude the employees altogether. See Waremart, 354 F.3d at 872.