Opinion ID: 235069
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The discharge of Dorothy Cole.

Text: 6 Of the 67 employees in the bargaining unit, Dorothy Cole is the only one 3 claimed to have been discriminatorily discharged prior to the strike. She was hired on a trial basis on July 26, 1951, along with another probationary employee, Rachel Wood. After a trial period lasting for approximately 14 working days she was discharged, according to Superintendent Elliott, for inefficiency and inability to learn her job. It is undisputed that the other employee, Rachel Wood, who had been hired at the same time and on the same trial basis as Cole, was not discharged prior to the strike, though she was also a union member. 7 The Board found that Cole's joining the union actually precipitated her discharge, and that respondent's claim as to her inefficiency was but a pretext in view of testimony by Cole and other union members that Elliott expressed satisfaction with her work. On the basis of this record, however, it seems to us that the validity of the Board's finding and reinstatement order as to Cole hinges mainly upon the sufficiency of the evidence to impute knowledge of Cole's union membership to respondent, in view of the settled principle that at least some legally justifiable inference of employer knowledge of a dischargee's union membership is an essential prerequisite to a valid finding of discriminatory discharge therefor. See N. L. R. B. v. Whitin Machine Works, 1 Cir., 204 F.2d 883, 884; Tampa Times Co. v. N. L. R. B., 5 Cir., 193 F.2d 582, 583; N. L. R. B. v. Westinghouse Electric Corp., 6 Cir., 179 F.2d 507. The evidence fails to show that Cole's union affiliation was brought to respondent's attention during her short tenure at the plant other than on the basis of pure inference and suspicion, in the manner hereinafter set forth. 8 In respondent National's behalf, Superintendent Elliott testified positively that he had no knowledge of Cole's union membership until he saw her with Rachel Wood on the picket line during the strike of August 16th, which took place two days subsequent to Cole's discharge, though his testimony was not credited by the Board. However, it is conceded that both the Trial Examiner and the Board inferred respondent's knowledge of Cole's union adherence from a conversation between another employee, Jewell Sanders, and the owner of a local restaurant, in which Sanders stated in the presence of a National supervisor, Scarborough, that Cole had joined the union, which information the Trial Examiner reasonably inferred was communicated to Superintendent Elliott and prompted her discharge, in spite of Scarborough's testimony denying the incident and his uncontradicted denial of having heard the alleged conversation, and despite further denials both by him and Elliott that he ever reported any such information concerning Cole. A majority of the Board, apparently recognizing the weakness of the Trial Examiner's inference as to respondent National's knowledge of Cole's union membership in view of the testimony of Scarborough and Elliott, sought support in stating that Respondent's plant complement was so small as to justify the inference that the union activities of its employees generally, including those of Cole, came to the notice of higher management officials. 4 Testimony which requires the pyramiding of so many inferences in order to sustain a finding of a discriminatorily motivated discharge cannot legitimately substitute for that substantial evidence essential to enforcement of a Board order. Accordingly, the Board's findings and order as to the discriminatory discharge of this employee must be denied enforcement. 5 N. L. R. B. v. Shen-Valley Meat Packers, 4 Cir., 211 F.2d 289; N. L. R. B. v. Falls City Creamery Co., 8 Cir., 207 F.2d 820; N. L. R. B. v. Radcliffe, 9 Cir., 211 F.2d 309. 9