Opinion ID: 406424
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Union's Purported Loss of Majority Status

Text: 24 Garrett claims that the union lost its majority at two separate points in time, and as a consequence, the company had no duty to enter into a contract with the union. First, it claims that the union lacked majority status as of September 17. At that time, the number of new employees hired as replacements for strikers plus the number of regular employees not on strike exceeded the number of workers on strike. The company reasons that this fact demonstrates the absence of a union majority. 25 This argument is unpersuasive. There is no presumption that an employee who refuses to join or who crosses a picket line has abandoned his or her support for the union. NLRB v. Frick Co., 423 F.2d 1327 (3d Cir. 1970). Thus, Garrett cannot argue that on September 17, it had a good faith doubt as to the union's majority status. 26 Garrett's good faith doubt, if it exists at all, must rest on the petition its management received on October 2. The petition, as already noted, was signed by 67 of 108 employees and asserted their interest in being represented by an in-plant committee. The ALJ relied on two grounds for his conclusion that the October 2 petition did not give rise to a good faith belief by Garrett of the union's loss of majority. First, the ALJ found that the October 2 petition was tainted by certain activities of the company's management taken in support of the petition. Second, the ALJ concluded that the existence of a valid contract as of September 30 precluded the company from denying recognition to the union during the term of the collective bargaining agreement. 27 There is more than ample evidence on this record to support the ALJ's conclusion that the October 2 petition was tainted by the company's illegal conduct. The ALJ found that the petition drive occurred principally, if not entirely, on the company's plant premises. In spite of the company Vice President's admonition that the petition was to be circulated on the employees' own time, the shop superintendent allowed employees to use the company lunchroom and to stay and sign the petition rather than return to work at the end of their break. The superintendent advised the Vice President of this activity but no disciplinary action was taken. 28 Most damaging to the company's allegation of good faith was the credited testimony of Michael Egbert, a former employee of Garrett. He testified that most of the employees, himself included, left the lunchroom at the end of the break without signing the petition. Outside of the lunchroom a conversation occurred between some of the employees and the superintendent. Egbert said the superintendent suggested that the employees sign the petition or they would more than likely lose (their) jobs. Egbert then returned to the lunchroom and signed only his first name to the petition. A second superintendent made similar statements to other employees which the ALJ found to have encouraged reluctant employees to sign the petition. 29 Substantial evidence in the record supports the ALJ's and the Board's conclusion that the petition was tainted. The two superintendents actively encouraged the petition, threatened employees, and allowed the company's time and premises to be used in its support. The company's Vice President was at least aware of the use of company time and premises and took no measures designed to demonstrate the company's neutrality. Under these circumstances, the company cannot rely on the petition as a basis for refusing to reduce to writing a contract already agreed upon with the union. 30 We need not reach the second basis for the ALJ's conclusion that the union did not lose its majority status. It is an interesting question whether an oral agreement, yet to be reduced to writing, can bar an employer from refusing to recognize a union. See Pick-Mt. Laurel Corp. v. NLRB, 625 F.2d 476 (3d Cir. 1980); General Cable Corp., 139 NLRB 1123 (1962); Appalachian Shale Products Co., 121 NLRB 1160 (1958). Under the traditional contract-bar rule, a written contract is required to bar a subsequent election petition. There is, as yet, no clear rule as to whether an oral agreement might serve to bar an employer from refusing to recognize the union with which it has agreed. Because we have concluded that the petition was tainted, we will leave open whether the same policies which support the contract-bar rule when there is a writing would also apply in these circumstances to make the company's withdrawal or recognition unlawful. 5