Opinion ID: 363952
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: discipline of eight employees

Text: 46 On numerous occasions in July, 1974, eight production workers requested their supervisor, Hector Santiago, to supply them with an electric fan to alleviate the intense heat in their work area. The requests were ignored. On August 2, the employees again requested a fan and were informed by Santiago that no fans were available. The eight employees then left their work station and went to Plant Manager Petrera to request a fan. Within ten minutes three fans were provided. The employees were gone from their work station about 15 minutes. 47 On August 4, Hartz issued formal disciplinary warnings to each of the eight employees and docked them 15 minutes pay for leaving their work without authorization. The Board found that they did so in the course of engaging in concerted activity for their mutual aid and protection under § 7 of the Act, 29 U.S.C. § 157, and that the disciplinary warnings were therefore in violation of the employees' rights under § 8(a)(1), 29 U.S.C. § 158(a)(1). 48 Section 7 provides that employees have the right to engage in concerted activities for the purpose of . . . mutual aid or protection. These rights extend beyond formal union activities and include concerted activities of the type engaged in here, where the employees found it necessary to present their demands as a group 26 in order to secure relief from intolerable working conditions. NLRB v. Washington Aluminum Co., 370 U.S. 9, 17, 82 S.Ct. 1099, 8 L.Ed.2d 298 (1962). 27