Opinion ID: 421699
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Before This Court

Text: The case then came before this court on the Company's petition for review of the Board's order and the Board's cross-petition for enforcement. After reviewing the administrative proceedings in detail, the court concluded that the Board, and its designated finders of fact, had avoided the crucial issue: whether the pro-union statements and activities of many of the Company's groupleaders impaired the employees' freedom of choice in the election, and affected any of the 175 pro-union votes cast. ITT Lighting Fixtures, Division of ITT Corporation v. NLRB, 658 F.2d 934, 940 (2d Cir.1981). The court noted that such pro-union activity  'involves the possibility that such conduct could coerce an employee into supporting the union out of fear of future retaliation ....'  Id. at 937, quoting Turner's Express, Inc., 189 N.L.R.B. 106, 107 (1971). The court read the Board's decisions to require, in the absence of direct threats of retaliation, consideration of two factors: (1) the degree of supervisory authority, and (2) the extent, nature and openness of the pro-union activity. The court pointed out that the Board had adopted the Regional Director's conclusion that the group leaders were minor supervisors without the authority to affect the employment status of other employees. There had been no analysis of the difference between major and minor supervisors and no explanation of what factors were considered in making the distinction. The Regional Director and the Board reached this conclusion about all the groupleaders, despite the fact that they found the evidence insufficient or inconclusive as to whether some of them were supervisors at all. Thus, the court concluded it could not defer to the Board's ultimate judgment because it was not supported by essential findings relative to two issues: first, whether, based upon the evidence and findings of fact reached thereon, the groupleaders or any of them who engaged in pro-union activity during the critical period were 'supervisors,' setting forth the criteria for such; and then, if so, whether their pro-union activity could effectively affect the votes of the employees. Id. at 940. The court remanded the case to the Board for further fact-finding and analysis consistent with its opinion and the Board's decisions in the cases of Delchamps, Inc., 210 N.L.R.B. 179 (1974), and Flint Motor Inn Company, d/b/a Sheraton Motor Inn, 194 N.L.R.B. 733 (1971). The question of law to be decided was whether the groupleaders' conduct reasonably tended to have a coercive effect on the employees so that it was likely to have impaired their freedom of choice in the election.