Opinion ID: 779882
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Concerted Activity within the NLRA

Text: 5 The first issue in this case is whether David and Bonnie engaged in concerted activity within the meaning of 29 U.S.C. § 157, thus precluding review by the district court. We conclude that they did not. 6 The National Labor Relations Act gives employees the right to engage in concerted activities 1 for the purposes of mutual aid and protection. 29 U.S.C. § 157. This language contemplates a context where employees are organizing or have organized, and need to be protected from retaliatory measures by their employer. 29 U.S.C. § 102. 7 NLRA preemption analysis has developed into two distinct doctrines, which are commonly referred to as Garmon 2 and Machinists 3 preemption. Thunderbird Mining Co. v. Ventura, 138 F.Supp.2d 1193, 1196 (D.Minn.2001). Garmon preemption, which the appellees suggest is applicable here, protects the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board ... by displacing state jurisdiction over conduct which is `arguably within the compass of § 7 or § 8 of the Act.' Id. (quoting St. Thomas — St. John Hotel & Tourism Assoc. v. United States Virgin Islands, 218 F.3d 232, 239 (3rd Cir.2000)). The Garmon doctrine supports the theory that Congress has an overriding interest in nationally uniform application of the NLRA, rather than in protecting particular conduct of private bargaining parties. St. Thomas, 218 F.3d at 239. Machinists preemption, on the other hand, focuses on protecting the collective bargaining process from interference by the states. Since we do not think Machinists preemption applies in this case, and neither party has briefed the Machinists preemption analysis, we defer to the Garmon analysis, which poses the question of whether the Williamses' conduct was either clearly or arguably concerted activity within the meaning of § 7 of the NLRA. 8 One component of protected concerted activity is concertedness. Calvin Sharpe, `By Any Means Necessary' — Unprotected Conduct and Decisional Discretion Under the National Labor Relations Act, 20 Berkeley J. Emp. & Lab. L. 203, 207-8 (1999). This component requires some sort of group activity; individuals acting on their own behalf are not engaged in concerted activity. Id. The issue has been raised whether actions taken individually, but presumed to be of interest and benefit to other employees, should be considered concerted activity under a constructive concerted activity theory. NLRB v. City Disposal Systems, Inc., 465 U.S. 822, 104 S.Ct. 1505, 79 L.Ed.2d 839 (1984). The NLRB, however, does not recognize such individual activity as concerted. 4 9 Watkins contends that David's statements and acts, such as returning the tractor after weighing it and requesting an accommodation, were not taken up individually but were concerted because his actions received Bonnie's implicit approval. As a practical matter, we cannot see the significance of Bonnie's possible approval. David and Bonnie were hired as a team. They worked together exclusively, and shared all of their trips. It puzzles this court how David and Bonnie could have engaged in concerted activity, since for all intents and purposes they operated as a single unit. Bonnie could not have left the terminal and driven the tractor without her team driver. 10 Watkins argues that the surest sign of concerted activity was the fact that no tractor left Watkins's Kansas City terminal on January 31, 2001, because neither David nor Bonnie accepted the load. Without a second driver to help share the burden of driving the long hours necessary to deliver the load, however, Bonnie was not capable of delivering the load on time by herself had she opted to drive the truck in spite of the excess weight. She would have failed in her job, no doubt reasonable grounds for termination in the trucking industry. The Williamses did not organize to work together, but operated as one unit. Although Watkins asserts that Bonnie was aware of and agreed with David's refusal, we believe Bonnie's awareness or lack thereof is irrelevant. All the evidence suggests that the Williamses were a single individual for the purposes of employment. To treat them now as separable is to deny the original arrangement between Watkins and the Williamses. 11 Counsel for Watkins suggested at oral argument that because this question is being litigated, it is an arguable point, and therefore constitutes arguably concerted activity. We disagree. The Garmon doctrine should not be used to preclude any discussion of whether an activity falls within NLRB jurisdiction. Following Watkins's line of reasoning, any dispute between two parties regarding whether an activity fell within sections 6 or 7 of the NLRA would automatically fall within NLRB jurisdiction because there was a dispute, thereby meeting the arguable requirement. We reject this interpretation because it would vastly expand the jurisdiction of the NLRB, and more importantly, deny the courts its basic function — to hear and resolve arguments between parties that may have no other form of relief. 12 This is not a standard labor arrangement. Counsel for Watkins could not point to any NLRB cases at oral argument where team drivers (much less married team drivers) were treated as workers engaging in concerted activity. Our research unearthed only one case, and it involved team drivers that did not engage in exclusive driving relationships. See C.D.S. Lines, Inc., 313 NLRB 296 (1993). We therefore believe this case does not fall within the NLRB's jurisdiction. 13