Opinion ID: 758565
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Applying the Statutory Factors

Text: 23 If the LPN charge nurses fall within the Act's definition of supervisors, then it was not an unfair labor practice for GranCare to refuse to bargain with them. Our task, therefore, is to determine whether the LPNs at GranCare are supervisors under the Act. 24 Neither party disputes that the LPNs act in the interests of the employer. Thus we focus on whether the LPNs engage in one of the twelve listed activities and use independent judgment in so doing. At a minimum, the LPNs have the authority to assign. As described above, LPNs direct the CNAs in the completion of their tasks and match up CNAs with particular patients. The LPNs may alter the CNA-patient pairing at their discretion. They also determine when the CNAs will take their breaks, and they have the authority to change break times as needed. This control over the direction of the CNAs is sufficient to establish that the LPNs have authority to assign under the Act. 25 The LPNs at GranCare also meet the responsibly to direct criterion. To be responsible is to be answerable for the discharge of a duty or obligation.... In determining whether direction in any particular case is responsible, the focus is on whether the alleged supervisor is held fully accountable and responsible for the performance and work product of the employees he directs. NLRB v. KDFW-TV, Inc., 790 F.2d 1273, 1278 (5th Cir.1986) (citations and quotations omitted); see also Northeast Utils. Serv. Co. v. NLRB, 35 F.3d 621, 625 (1st Cir.1994). The evidence in the record establishes that the LPN charge nurses are responsible for the actions of the CNAs on their unit. As the Director of Nursing testified: 26 [The LPNs] are responsible for what happens and when they give direct orders to the CNAs, that they are responsible to make sure that it is followed through on and if they do not, they would be held accountable for what wasn't done on the floor and I would come to them. 27 Tr. of Hrg. at 275, In re GranCare, No. 30-RC-5576 and 30-RC-5577 (N.L.R.B. June 24, 1996). The Director of Nursing also testified that she has orally counseled LPNs for failure to discipline a CNA, and that on at least one occasion she gave a written disciplinary notice to an LPN when a CNA under her charge was not doing her job correctly. The LPNs therefore responsibly direct the CNAs on their unit. 28 Since the LPNs meet at least one of the iterated criteria in § 152(11), this case boils down to whether the LPNs utilize independent judgment in assigning or responsibly directing the CNAs. Given the entire record, we cannot say that the Board's conclusion that the LPNs do not exercise independent judgment, but instead utilize their professional judgment in a routine or clerical way, is supported by substantial evidence. First, the LPNs exercise independent judgment in assigning CNAs to patients. The charge nurses must consider the needs of the patient, the skill and experience of the CNA, and the staff available for different tasks. That the LPNs may call upon their professional expertise in making these judgments in no way diminishes their independence. Additionally, these judgments are not simply routine or clerical. There is no evidence in the record that LPNs follow a specified procedure to assign CNAs to patients, nor is there evidence suggesting that LPNs consult with a RN supervisor over the assignment process. The same is true when the LPNs schedule and rearrange CNA break times. These independent scheduling decisions made throughout each shift are sufficient to establish the LPNs' supervisory status under § 152(11). 2 See American Diversified Foods, Inc. v. NLRB, 640 F.2d 893, 896-97 (7th Cir.1981) (finding that Arby's restaurant shift managers who were responsible for assigning counter employees to specific jobs were supervisors). 29 While the above activities are sufficient to establish that GranCare's LPNs are supervisors, the record also indicates that the LPNs are responsible for supervising the CNAs' tasks, and that LPNs are held responsible when CNAs improperly perform their duties. Monitoring the CNAs' performance requires independent judgment as to whether the tasks are completed properly and in accordance with acceptable levels of patient care. The fact that the CNAs' duties are often menial and repetitive is of no import to the analysis, for we have held that the menial nature of the tasks performed and the limited skills of ... coworkers ... does not mean that [the employee] was not called upon to use his own judgment in the course of the job. NLRB v. Adam & Eve Cosmetics, 567 F.2d 723, 728 (7th Cir.1977). Additionally, determining the level of supervision each CNA requires involves the use of independent judgment and is not merely routine or clerical. The LPN must assess each CNA's level of experience and responsibility to determine how closely he or she must be monitored. Since the LPNs thus responsibly direct the CNAs utilizing independent judgment in the interest of the employer, this activity provides additional support for our conclusion that these LPNs are supervisors under the Act. 30 Because we find that GranCare's LPNs are supervisors under the Act, GranCare did not engage in an unfair labor practice by failing to bargain with them. The Board's petition to enforce its order therefore is DENIED. 31