Court Opinion

ID: 9419901
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-02 22:52:02.352751+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:42:16.760925
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Jackson,
dissenting.
If the only interests affected were the complaining employer and the victorious union, I should agree with the Court’s decision. But there is a third and, as usual, a forgotten interest here — those employees who did not want to be represented by the union.
The election was held by agreement between the employer and the union which was seeking to organize the plant. The Company was to furnish a list of eligible *336voters. The Company and the union were each to have observers attend, with the right to challenge the voters. The agreement did not give anti-organization employees either observers or the right to challenge. The certified result of 116 union against 114 anti-union votes was reached by not counting a ballot which the union challenged and by counting the ballot which the Company now points out was probably invalid. Mrs. Kane’s vote, no matter whether valid or invalid, is thus allowed to decide the election.
It is in evidence and undisputed that, after the election an employee — presumably anti-union, from the circumstance that he was objecting — raised the question that Mrs. Kane, who was carried on the Company’s eligible list because the Company believed she was absent for illness, had, in fact, left the employ of the Company with no intention to return. If that is true, she was not a qualified voter.
But because there was no challenge at the time her ballot was cast, the Court holds there can be no inquiry into its validity. Comparison with the practice at general public elections is specious, for in those elections every citizen has a right of challenge and registration lists usually are made up and available in advance. No comparable safeguards for the employees opposed to the union appear to exist here, though both the employer and the union were protected.
The Court takes the position that although every other interest has affirmative protection, there is no necessity for similar affirmative protection to the anti-union employees. Despite the fact that both of the contracting parties were careful to provide such protection for themselves, the Court assumes it is unnecessary for the third interest. The Court says that, in the absence of evidence, it will assume that such interests were adequately represented, at the same time closing the door to hearing evi*337dence as to whether those interests were prejudiced unless those who are denied affirmative representation or challenge rights should have'made affirmative objection before the wrong was consummated by casting the illegal ballot. And, of course, the members of such a minority have no standing to bring their problems either to the Board or to the Court. We hear of their grievance, if at all, only through its being identical with some complaint which the employer raises.
The Court fears that to permit inquiry into the validity of Mrs. Kane’s vote would “extend an opportunity for the inclusion of ineligible pro-union or anti-union men on the pay-roll list” who would be challenged after the election in the hope of voiding an unwanted result. Of course, there are opportunities for manipulation of such a list, for collusion between employer and favored groups, for fraud, and for honest mistakes.
But if the Court is concerned to keep the elections pure, why close the door to proof of such corruption or mistake when it operates against an anti-union group, because it has not been challenged by one of the parties to it: to wit, the employer? In the usual election, it may be desirable to put an end to challenges-at the time when the ballots become intermingled and indistinguishable. But to justify cutting off inquiry, it should appear that all persons interested in the election have had adequate opportunity to question the ballots cast. As long as no such provision is made for employees who are opposed to organization, I would protect their rights by allowing post-election challenges on such grounds as are urged here.
Of course the protection this gives is far from satisfactory. The challenge must be initiated by the parties the Board recognizes, the employer or the union. But there will be some instances in which their interest coincides with that of the anti-union employees. On the other hand, I can scarcely think of a more perfect device for *338encouraging unscrupulousness, than to invest it with finality against all inquiry either by the Board or the courts. Here half the employees are forced to accept union representation as the result of an election in which they were not allowed to protect the ballot, and those who were, failed to do so. If I really wanted to discourage fraud, collusion, and mistakes, and protect the integrity of elections and the rights of both minority and majority, I should hold that such elections can be looked into whenever irregularity appears to have affected the result.