Opinion ID: 416478
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: preliminary procedural questions.

Text: 11 Boston Insulated contends that it should not be required to bargain with the union because the union election should have been set aside, or at least, that the company was entitled to a full evidentiary hearing on its objections to the election. As a preliminary matter, the Board notes that Boston Insulated did not request a hearing until it filed its motion for reconsideration of the Board's decision. Boston Insulated responds that such a request was not necessary; it maintains that it was entitled to a hearing once it had presented prima facie evidence raising substantial material issues that would warrant setting the election aside. NLRB v. Claxton Manufacturing Co., 613 F.2d 1364, 1365 (5th Cir.), modified, 618 F.2d 396 (5th Cir.1980). 12 The National Labor Relations Act does not specifically require the Board to conduct post-election hearings on objections to the conduct of elections. NLRB v. South Mississippi Electric Power Association, 616 F.2d 837, 839 (5th Cir.1980); NLRB v. O.K. Van Storage, Inc., 297 F.2d 74, 76 (5th Cir.1961). The Board, however, has promulgated regulations authorizing a hearing on a party's objections to a representation election at the regional director's discretion: 13 The action of the regional director in issuing a report on objections ... may be on the basis of an administrative investigation or, if it appears to the regional director that substantial and material factual issues exist which, in the exercise of his reasonable discretion, he determines may more appropriately be resolved after a hearing, he shall issue and cause to be served on the parties a notice of hearing on said issues before a hearing officer. 14 29 C.F.R. Sec. 102.69(d) (1981). 3 Neither the cases nor the regulations say whether an election challenger must specifically request a hearing in addition to presenting evidence of a prima facie case. See, e.g., Claxton, supra. Since we conclude that the Board's decision not to hold a full evidentiary hearing with respect to the company's objections was not an abuse of discretion regardless of the company's failure to request a hearing, we need not determine today whether a request for such a hearing would normally be necessary. 15 Secondly, we hold that the Board properly determined whether the election should have been set aside solely on the basis of the affidavits submitted during the original investigation. The regulations governing the procedure for objections to an election provide that objections shall be filed within five days after the tally of the ballots has been furnished to the parties. The party filing objections shall, upon request, promptly furnish to the regional director the evidence available to it to support the objections. 29 C.F.R. Sec. 102.69(a) (1981) (emphasis added). 4 The submission of affidavits almost one year after the filing of the objections can hardly be considered prompt. The record in this case does not contain any request by Boston Insulated to the acting regional director for an extension of time in which to submit additional evidence. Had the company made such a request, the regional director's decision whether to grant an extension would have been governed by an abuse of discretion standard. Burns International Security Services, Inc., 256 N.L.R.B. 959 (1981); Sambo's North Division Store No. 144, 223 N.L.R.B. 565 (1976). 16 The administrative regulations further provide that in a proceeding in which no hearing is held, a party ... may append to its submission to the Board copies of documents timely submitted to the regional director and which were not included in the report and decision. 29 C.F.R. Sec. 102.69(g) (1981) (emphasis added). 5 While a party may move for a reopening of the record under extraordinary circumstances, 29 C.F.R. Sec. 102.65(e)(1) (1981), no motion for reconsideration or rehearing will be entertained pursuant to this paragraph ... by the Board with respect to any matter which could have been but was not raised before it .... Only newly discovered evidence, evidence which has become available only since the close of the hearing, or evidence which the ... Board believes should have been taken at the hearing, will be taken at any further hearing. Id.; see also Claxton, supra, 613 F.2d at 1368 n. 5. Boston Insulated has never offered any reason for its failure to submit the additional affidavits during the original investigation. There is no indication that the evidence was initially unavailable, as all of the affiants were employees of the company and indeed some had already signed earlier affidavits. 17 In light of the company's failure to explain why it had not timely submitted the affidavits, and the policy embodied in the National Labor Relations Act of expeditiously resolving questions of union certification, see NLRB v. O.K. Van Storage, Inc., 297 F.2d 74, 76 (5th Cir.1961), we conclude that the Board's refusal to consider the additional affidavits was well within its discretion. 18