Opinion ID: 385886
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Intimidation

Text: 15 The Company argues that the Board's findings should be overturned because there was no evidence that the interrogations actually had a coercive effect on the employees. Indeed, in two instances the interrogators indicated that the employees did not have to answer the questions. 7 Thus, it argues, the interrogations did not affect the outcome of the election and should not be considered unfair labor practices. 16 The short answer to this argument is that interrogation violates the Act if it has a tendency to intimidate employees in the exercise of their protected rights, even if there is no evidence of actual intimidation. See Penasquitos Village, Inc. v. NLRB, 565 F.2d 1074, 1080 (9th Cir. 1977); NLRB v. Bell Manufacturing Division, Di Giorgio Leisure Products, Inc., 483 F.2d 150, 151-53 (9th Cir. 1973). As this Court explained in Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen of North America, Local No. 364 v. NLRB, 435 F.2d 668, 669 (9th Cir. 1970), 17 (i)n order for an employer's interrogation of employees to constitute unfair labor practices under section 8(a)(1) it must be associated with express or implied threats or promises, or form part of an overall pattern tending to restrain or coerce employees with regard to their protected activities.... When the inquiries are not undertaken in a threatening manner but are only isolated instances free of coercion and without any systematic intimidation in the background, they are not unlawful. 18 The burden rests on the General Counsel to prove that the interrogations violated the Act. See Hughes & Hatcher, Inc. v. NLRB, 393 F.2d 557, 563 (9th Cir. 1968). 19 In this case, the Board found that each interrogation incident was associated with an implied threat. Moreover, it found that the interrogations were part of an overall systematic pattern of intimidation of employees. These findings are supported by substantial evidence and, therefore, justify the conclusion that the interrogations were unfair labor practices even though there was no evidence that employees were actually intimidated by the interrogations.