Court Opinion

ID: 9471714
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 03:39:33.301224+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:42:32.891124
License: Public Domain

BARRETT, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
I recognize our narrow scope of review. Even in this light, the majority opinion states, and I agree, that the case is “close.”
It is my view that the Board, in ruling that Pennypower violated § 8(a)(1) of the Act by causing the subject employees to believe that they had been discharged, employed impermissible boot-strapped inferences. The NLRB concluded, without the benefit of substantial evidence, that Hern’s “ambiguous” responses to some of the employees’ questions led them to believe they had been discharged. This conclusion smacks headlong against the decisions of two Administrative Law Judges, made independently following evidentiary hearings *631that no reasonable basis existed for the strikers to believe that they had been discharged or could not readily acquire reinstatement.
The first hearing was held before ALJ Blackburn who died after a full evidentiary hearing but before he could rule on the motion to dismiss the complaint. Administrative Law Judge Ricci was appointed as the Board’s ALJ. He rendered his decision dismissing the Board’s complaint based on his review of the record and briefs. The Board rejected his decision, particularly because it was not predicated on specific credibility findings. The matter was remanded for a de novo hearing before ALJ Heilburn. He conducted a de novo evidentiary hearing and rendered specific findings of fact, based upon credibility determinations. He concluded that no reasonable basis existed for the strikers to believe that they were discharged or could not readily acquire reinstatement. These specific findings were rejected by the Board which did not have the advantage of making ' credibility assessments. The Board’s use of inferences should not prevail over the specific credibility determinations of ALJ Heilburn. I would deny enforcement of the Board’s order.