Opinion ID: 752417
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: NLRB Decision and Order

Text: 13 Between September 11 and September 15, 1995, a hearing before an ALJ was held at the NLRB's regional offices. Based on the comment all you have to do is ask made by Miller to Garcia, the ALJ determined that Miller operated under a policy where benefits information was distributed only if an employee asked for the information. The ALJ determined that this policy was intended to save Greenwood labor costs. In addition, the ALJ noted from the testimony of certain Greenwood employees that Greenwood management personnel concealed information from employees, and even provided them with misinformation. The ALJ found that employees Patricia Pickus and Donna Nelson were not directly informed about all the benefits available to them, but only received information on vacations and personal and sick leave. The ALJ also concluded that Greenwood's director of nursing, Maria Faria, ignored the existence of the Personnel Manual when she told Pickus that there was no book or other written material describing the benefits available to Greenwood employees. The ALJ acknowledged the existence of additional sources of benefits information, such as the Beverly Cares newsletter, but found them to be of minimal value, citing employee testimony that little attention was paid to these sources of information. Based primarily upon these findings, the ALJ determined that Greenwood committed an unfair labor practice by initially concealing information on existing benefits and then issuing summaries of existing benefits during the Union organizational campaign. The ALJ equated such concealment to the conferral of benefits upon employees for the purpose of coercing the employees into voting against the Union. 14 Crediting the testimony of employees Pickus and Nelson, the ALJ also found that at one meeting immediately prior to the Union organizational campaign, Greenwood's anti-union campaign manager, Jay Begley, and administrator Maria Faria, told the employees that Greenwood was working on a 4 percent, across-the-board raise for the employees. The ALJ determined that this constituted an implied promise of a wage increase and as such was an unfair labor practice. 15 The ALJ finally determined that at about the time the Union organization activities began, Wilcox asked Garcia while passing her in the hallway, what brought this on? Garcia took this to be in reference to the union organizational campaign. Garcia answered: 16 benefits--the lack of knowledge of the benefits that we have; the favoritism--that some nurses knew about benefits and received benefits, while other nurses didn't receive benefits; the fact that I had to take a cut in pay and work to receive benefits, whereas Patty Pickus, whose husband was working, and my husband was unemployed and not receiving unemployment had--I had to take a cut in pay, but she didn't have to take a cut in pay. 17 Garcia testified that Wilcox then responded that she would see what she could do. Within a few days, Garcia was presented with the first benefits summary. The ALJ determined that this amounted to an unfair labor practice in the form of a solicitation of a grievance and a promise to redress the grievance. 18 Accordingly, the ALJ ordered that Greenwood cease and desist from the unfair labor practices, that it post the cease and desist order, and that the election be set aside because, by its unfair labor practices, Greenwood interfered with the employees' free choice. On June 11, 1996, Greenwood filed its objections to the ALJ's decision with the NLRB. On September 30, 1996, the NLRB affirmed the ALJ's decision and adopted the order, making only a minor modification concerning the posting of the order. Greenwood filed a petition for review on November 9, 1996. The General Counsel filed a cross-petition for enforcement of the order on December 20, 1996.