Opinion ID: 544345
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Machinery Removal and Picketline Misconduct

Text: 65 In December 1983, Facet informed the Union that it had removed some manufacturing equipment from the Detroit plant and was contemplating moving other machinery as well. Picketing employees subsequently observed trucks removing what appeared to be machinery from the Detroit plant. Rec. vol. II at 1573. When Union negotiators requested information from Facet's counsel concerning this removed machinery, he confirmed that some work had temporarily been moved, but declined to provide any additional information. Id. vol. I at 377-78. 66 During a negotiating session held in January 1984, Facet informed the Union that the company intended to discipline employees who had engaged in picketline misconduct. Id. at 344-55. The Union inquired where the alleged misconduct took place and who was involved. Facet's negotiators stated that the company was still investigating the incident and could provide no detailed information. Evidence adduced at trial revealed that several of Facet's managerial employees had made oral and written reports of picketline misconduct as early as December 1983 and that the company had films and other documentation of the alleged misconduct. Nevertheless, despite the Union's repeated requests for information, the company provided no information until March 1984 when it gave the union copies of the telegrams sent to discharged employees. Id. vol. III at 2433. Finally, the following month, Facet provided the Union with a short memo describing the misconduct that led to the employees' dismissal. When asked for more information on these incidents, Facet's representatives told the Union that it would see what [it] wanted at the NLRB hearings. Id. at 2434. 67 An employer's duty to disclose information to its employees' bargaining representative does not apply only to financial information; the employer also must provide all information needed by the bargaining representative for the proper performance of its duties. NLRB v. Acme Indus. Co., 385 U.S. 432, 435-36, 87 S.Ct. 565, 568, 17 L.Ed.2d 495 (1967). A union is entitled to information relevant to its statutory and contractual obligation to administer a collective bargaining agreement. Safeway Stores v. NLRB, 691 F.2d 953, 956 (10th Cir.1982); see Lear Siegler, 890 F.2d at 1581. 68 The employer's obligation [to disclose information] is predicated upon the need of the union ... to provide intelligent representation of the employees. The test of the union's need for such information is simply a showing of probability that the desired information was relevant, and that it would be of use to the union in carrying out its statutory duties and responsibilities. The union need not demonstrate that the information sought is certainly relevant or clearly dispositive of the basic negotiating or arbitration issues between the parties. The fact that the information is of probable or potential relevance is sufficient to give rise to an obligation on the part of the employer to provide it. 69 The Washington Star, 273 NLRB 391, 396 (1984) (quoting Westinghouse Elec., 239 NLRB 106, 107 (1978)). However, the mere assertion by a union that it requires information to process a grievance does not, in itself, obligate an employer to provide the information in the precise manner requested. Detroit Edison v. NLRB, 440 U.S. 301, 314, 99 S.Ct. 1123, 1130, 59 L.Ed.2d 333 (1979). An employer therefore may deny a union relevant information where production is unduly burdensome or employer's interest in confidentiality outweighs union's interest in disclosure. Safeway Stores, 691 F.2d at 956. 70 Here, Facet's refusal to provide the Union with information concerning the removal of machinery is analogous to the facts presented to the Supreme Court in Acme, 385 U.S. at 434-435, 87 S.Ct. at 567. In Acme, the employer was obligated by a collective bargaining agreement to inform the union when it transferred work out of the plant. 385 U.S. at 433-34, 87 S.Ct. at 566-67. The company moved some machinery out of the plant and the union sought information on what was moved. The Supreme Court held that the information requested was relevant to the union's determination of whether to file a grievance for nonadherence to the terms of the agreement. Id. at 437, 87 S.Ct. at 568. Here, article XIX of the collective bargaining agreement between Facet and the Union provided that if the company elected to move a major portion of one plant, the affected workers could elect to be transferred to the new plant with full seniority. Facet Enter., unpub. order at 25-25 n. 2. Information concerning the machinery moved from the Detroit plant therefore was relevant to the Union's determination of how it would exercise its rights under article XIX of the agreement. Id.; The Washington Star, 273 NLRB at 396. Moreover, even if the Union did not wish to exercise its rights under article XIX, information concerning Facet's removal of equipment from the Detroit plant plainly was relevant to the Union's fulfillment of its representational obligation to preserve its members' jobs. See International Harvester, 241 NLRB 600, 604 (1979). Substantial evidence therefore supports the Board's holding that, by failing to provide the Union with information concerning the removed machinery, Facet violated its obligation under Sec. 8(a)(5). 71 Information concerning the discipline of Facet employees for picketline misconduct also plainly was relevant to the Union's representational obligations. See NLRB v. United States Postal Serv., 888 F.2d 1568, 1570 (11th Cir.1989); Anheuser Busch Inc., 237 NLRB 982, 984 (1970); see generally American Fed. of Gov. Employees v. FLRA, 793 F.2d 1360, 1364 (D.C.Cir.1986). Facet contends that it was not obligated to turn over such information because the events giving rise to the picketline misconduct were still under investigation. We agree that an employer's obligation to provide a union with information concerning the discipline of its employees is not unlimited and that certain safeguards may be instituted to protect informants and provide for a thorough investigation. In this case, however, the record contains substantial evidence that, by failing to provide the requested information, Facet was not motivated by a legitimate need to thoroughly investigate the alleged misconduct but rather acted disingenuously to preclude the Union from fulfilling its representational duties. The Board's finding that Facet's refusal to supply information concerning picketline misconduct violated Sec. 8(a)(5) therefore must stand.