Opinion ID: 779052
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Disclosure to Opposing Union

Text: 56 Konop argues that Nobles unlawfully assisted Reno Morella, the union leader who supported the concessionary contract, by disclosing the contents of Konop's website. Generally, the RLA prohibits employers from providing assistance to a union or labor faction. See Barthelemy v. Air Lines Pilots Ass'n, 897 F.2d 999, 1009 (9th Cir.1990) (per curiam); see also NLRB v. Finishline Indus., 451 F.2d 1280, 1281-82 (9th Cir.1971) (NLRA prohibits employer from telling workers to withdraw from one union and join another); NLRB v. L. Ronney & Sons Furniture Mfg. Co., 206 F.2d 730, 734-35 (9th Cir.1953) (NLRA prohibits employer from initiating membership drive among his employees for employer-favored union). 57 Konop argues that Nobles disclosed useful intelligence to a rival union faction in an effort to ensure that Konop's faction, which opposed the concessionary contract, would not prevail. Hawaiian does not seriously dispute that disclosure of the contents of Konop's website to Morella would constitute improper assistance. Instead, Hawaiian argues that Konop failed to present sufficient evidence that Nobles made any such disclosure or that Nobles was even familiar with the contents of Konop's website when he spoke to Morella. 58 Morella, however, states in his declaration that Nobles contacted him on December 14, 1995 and informed him that he had just reviewed information which was posted on an internet communications system operated by Hawaiian Airlines Pilot Robert Konop. In addition, Morella states that Nobles also disclosed to me that Konop's internet communications system contained a third written article concerning Konop's efforts to obtain union representation by a labor organization other than the Air Line Pilots Association. This evidence creates a genuine issue of fact whether Nobles was familiar with the contents of Konop's website and whether Nobles disclosed the contents of the website to Morella. 59 Moreover, Nobles confirmed in his declaration that he contacted Morella because he felt that Reno Morella, the Chairman of the ALPA Master Executive Council, should be aware of the newsletter because of its inaccurate attack on the proposed labor agreements and the unfair effect it could have on the ratification process. Nobles thus effectively concedes that he interceded to help ensure that Morella's faction — which favored ratification of the concessionary contract — would prevail over Konop's faction, which opposed the agreement. 60 Accordingly, we find that Konop has raised a triable issue of fact whether Nobles improperly assisted one union faction over another in violation of the RLA.