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

Heading: anthony senchak

Text: 33 Senchak was fired for allegedly threatening to get a member of Garrett's management and for attempting to run a truck off the road after it had left Garrett's plant. The Board rejected the ALJ's recommendation that Senchak's dismissal be upheld after concluding that there was no evidence on the record to support the ALJ's conclusion. We do not agree. There is more than substantial evidence to support the ALJ's conclusion and we decline to enforce the Board's order insofar as it requires the reinstatement of Senchak. 34 The ALJ found that as the truck left Garrett's premises, Senchak followed it on his motorcycle. In the words of the ALJ, Senchak and two other strikers on motorcycles drove in front of and around the truck and the car (containing members of Garrett's management personnel) in such a fashion as to impede and interfere with their safe use of the highway, finally causing the truck and the car to pull off the road at a commercial establishment.... The police were called, but before they could arrive Senchak and the other motorcyclists left. 35 The ALJ heard testimony from the driver of the truck and from the Garrett employees following in the car. Senchak also testified. The ALJ, after weighing the credibility of all the witnesses, concluded that Senchak's misconduct was serious and that his asserted justification was neither relevant nor credible. 7 36 We fail to see how the Board could conclude that there was no evidence in the record on which the ALJ could rely to support his conclusion. We recognize that the Board is not obligated to accept an ALJ's findings of fact when there is substantial conflicting evidence on the record in derogation of the ALJ's findings. NLRB v. Duquesne Electric and Manufacturing Co., 518 F.2d 701, 704 (3d Cir. 1975); NLRB v. Treasure Lake, Inc., 453 F.2d 202, 204 (3d Cir. 1971). Nevertheless, if the Board declines to follow an ALJ's finding and makes a contrary finding, the Board's finding must be supported by substantial evidence. Duquesne Electric, 518 F.2d at 704. As the Supreme Court noted in Universal Camera Corp. v. NLRB, 340 U.S. 474, 496, 71 S.Ct. 456, 468, 95 L.Ed. 456 (1951): 37 We do not require that the examiner's findings be given more weight than in reason and in the light of judicial experience they deserve. The substantial evidence standard is not modified in any way when the Board and its examiner disagree. We intend only to recognize that evidence supporting a conclusion may be less substantial when an impartial, experienced examiner who has observed the witnesses and lived with the case has drawn conclusions different from the Board's than when he has reached the same conclusion. 38 The Supreme Court's admonition is particularly applicable here. The ALJ carefully marshalled and weighed the evidence, including the demeanor and credibility of the witnesses, and reached a sound conclusion. The Board in rejecting the ALJ's findings has arrived at a result that is not supported by substantial evidence on this record.