Opinion ID: 57554
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Unavailable Information

Text: The Board next argues that the Company failed to show that information relating to the number of baskets hauled in 2005 by Worldwide drivers (paragraph two) is unavailable. It argues that the Company only engaged in a cursory search for the information, and it did not conduct a reasonable inquiry to determine whether the information is available from other, obvious sources, such as its parent company, its sister bakeries, or Worldwide itself. In response, the Company argues that it cannot be held liable for violating Sections 8(a)(5) and (1) of the Act for failing to provide information it does not have. It explains that it does not keep records reflecting the data the Union sought in paragraph two, and even though that data could be extrapolated from its Load and Transport Sheets, it destroys those documents after seven days. Case law has consistently held that an employer cannot be held liable under the Act for failing to produce information it does not have. See Vanguard Fire & Supply Co., Inc., 345 N.L.R.B. No. 77, -43 (2005), enforced, 468 F.3d 952 (6th Cir.2006); see also In re Kathleen's Bakeshop, LLC, 337 N.L.R.B. 1081, 1082 (2002), enforced, 2003 WL 22221353 (2d Cir.2003) (explaining than an employer cannot be expected to provide information that it does not have.). But employers do have an obligation to make reasonable efforts to secure any unavailable information. Congreso de Uniones Industriales de Puerto Rico v. NLRB, 966 F.2d 36, 38 (1st Cir.1992) (writing that an employer's duty to supply relevant information also extends to situations where the information is not in the employer's possession, but where the information can likely be obtained from a third party with whom the employer has a business relationship that is directly implicated in the alleged breach of the collective-bargaining agreement.). After reviewing the record, we find the Company's arguments unavailing. Even though it is unquestionable that the Company did not keep records about the amount of product that was backhauled from Owensboro by Worldwide drivers, we agree with the ALJ's finding that the Company utterly failed to conduct a good faith inquiry to determine whether the information was available from any other sources. While the Company responded that such attempts would be futile, it does not seem implausible that some other source, particularly: Worldwide, may in fact have some information that could provide insight on how much product was backhauled from Owensboro to London. It may very well be that such information simply no longer exists, but the Company is required to show that it could not obtain the requested information from other sources.