Opinion ID: 3162569
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: union’s special appeal

Text: Salem makes two arguments regarding the Union’s Special Appeal of the RD’s decision to set a hearing on Salem’s Objections 1–16. First, Salem asserts that no Board rule permits such an appeal. Second, it objects to the Board’s failure, in any event, to allow Salem to respond. The Board’s errors are not insignificant but, again, prejudice to Salem is lacking. The Special Appeal was undoubtedly unauthorized. The Union relied on 29 C.F.R. § 102.26 to press its Special Appeal but that rule governs appeals in unfair labor practices proceedings. The Board asserts that another rule—29 C.F.R. § 102.65(c)—permits the appeal. Even if the Board is correct, it misapplied the rule here. At the time the Union made its Special Appeal, Section 102.65(c) provided that Requests to the regional director, or to the Board in appropriate cases, for special permission to appeal from a ruling of the hearing officer, together with the appeal from such ruling, shall be filed promptly, in writing, Its argument does not support a prejudice finding given that the RD—not the HO—makes the status determination. See 29 C.F.R. § 102.67 (directing that RD, not HO, render a decision). Salem also argued that, in order to protect the HO, the RD had an improper incentive to find no supervisory status. We reject this conclusory assertion. Cf. Withrow v. Larkin, 421 U.S. 35, 55 (1975) (“Without a showing to the contrary, [government actors] are assumed to be men of conscience and intellectual discipline, capable of judging a particular controversy fairly on the basis of its own circumstances.”) (internal quotations omitted). 21 and shall briefly state (1) the reasons special permission should be granted and (2) the grounds relied on for the appeal. . . . Any statement in opposition or other response to the request and/or to the appeal shall be filed promptly. (emphasis added). 18 Section 102.65(c) gave the Board considerable discretion in its implementation, viz., special appeals to the Board were permitted “in appropriate cases.” 29 C.F.R. § 102.65(c). But the Board could not explain at oral argument why this was an “appropriate case,” see Oral Arg. Recording at 23:34–25:15 (“I do not think it is unprecedented . . . . I could try to find out for you.”). 19 Moreover, the Board’s interpretation of “filed promptly” here is inconsistent at best. The Board heard the Union’s Special Appeal even though it was filed more than one month after the RD decision setting a hearing. If the Union’s filing was prompt, then Salem’s response within one week was alacritous. Yet the Board gave one party over one month to 18 The highlighted language has since been deleted. Section 102.65(c) now provides: “Requests to the regional director for special permission to appeal from a ruling of the hearing officer, together with the appeal from such ruling, shall be filed promptly, in writing, and shall briefly state the reasons special permission should be granted and the grounds relied on for the appeal. . . . Any statement in opposition or other response to the request and/or to the appeal shall be filed promptly, in writing, and shall be served immediately on the other parties and on the regional director.” 19 If not unprecedented, the Board has apparently expanded the scope of section 102.65(c) by allowing special appeals from an RD decision although special appeals were (and are) limited to “a ruling of the hearing officer.” 29 C.F.R. § 102.65(c); see also 29 C.F.R. § 102.65(c) (2015). 22 file without allowing the other side so much as a week to respond. Nonetheless, Salem once again cannot establish that the Board’s mistake prejudiced it. Salem asserts that, by granting the Union’s Special Appeal and reversing the RD’s decision setting a hearing, it was stripped of its ability to argue the merits of Objections 1–16 to the ALJ. Although true, Salem was not prejudiced thereby for at least three reasons. First, Objections 1–16 related to the CNs’ supervisory status, an issue that had already been litigated before the Board. Even if Salem were allowed to make its arguments to the ALJ, we see no reason that the ALJ would have reached a conclusion contrary to that of the Board. Second, if Salem were for some reason successful before the ALJ, the Board reviews his decisions and the Board had already determined that Salem’s objections constituted prohibited relitigation.20 Finally, if the procedural error did prejudice Salem, the prejudice was cured when the Board considered Salem’s motion for reconsideration. Before certifying the Union, the Board reconsidered its earlier order—this time with the benefit of Salem’s response—and reached the same conclusion.