Court Opinion

ID: 9468244
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 02:08:55.373442+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:40:46.264699
License: Public Domain

McMANUS, Chief District Judge,
concurring specially.
The panel determines to enforce the Board’s bargaining order, having elected not to adopt the majority view of the courts *294of appeal with respect to the specific factual analysis required of the Board in cases such as this. NLRB v. Jamaica Towing, Inc., 602 F.2d 1100 (2d Cir. 1980); NLRB v. Appletree Chevrolet, Inc., 608 F.2d 988 (4th Cir. 1979); NLRB v. Pilgrim Foods, Inc., 591 F.2d 110 (1st Cir. 1978); NLRB v. Pacific Southwest Airlines, 550 F.2d 1148 (9th Cir. 1977); NLRB v. Armcor Industries, 535 F.2d 239 (3d Cir. 1976); Peerless of America, Inc. v. NLRB, 484 F.2d 1108 (7th Cir. 1973); NLRB v. American Cable Systems, Inc., 427 F.2d 446 (5th Cir. 1970). I agree with the result in the case at bar, although I feel that the better approach to these cases is that of the above circuits.
The leading Supreme Court case in this area is, of course, NLRB v. Gissel Packing Co., 395 U.S. 575, 89 S.Ct. 1918, 23 L.Ed.2d 547 (1969). There the court sanctioned the imposition of a bargaining order remedy under circumstances as were present here upon findings by the Board that “the possibility of erasing the effects of past practices and of ensuring a fair election ... by the use of traditional remedies, though present, is slight and that employee sentiment once expressed through cards would, on balance, be better protected by a bargaining order.” 395 U.S. at 614-615, 89 S.Ct. at 1940. In applying this language to the cases before them, the majority of the circuits requires the Board to (1) make specific findings as to the immediate and residual impact of unfair labor practices on the election process; (2) undertake a detailed analysis assessing the possibilities of holding a fair election in terms of any continuing effect of employer misconduct, the likelihood of recurring misconduct, and the potential effectiveness of traditional remedies; and (3) reconcile the issuance of the bargaining order with prior decisions in which no such order was issued. E.g. Peerless of America, Inc. v. NLRB, 484 F. 2d 1108, 1118 (7th Cir. 1973).
In addition to the Gissel language, these circuits have justified their approach based on their appellate responsibility to review the administrative process. As stated in NLRB v. Armcor Industries, 535 F.2d 239, 245 (3d Cir. 1976) (citations omitted):
Requiring the [Board] to state its reasons enables the reviewing court to ‘guarantee the integrity of the administrative process. . . . ’ It also contributes to the growth and predictability of this important area of labor law. In addition, the ‘requirement that ■ the [Board] provide analysis and findings serves as a prophy-laxsis against an arbitrary exercise of the [Board’s] power.’
Lastly, these circuits have indicated that such requirements are consistent with the general principle that an open, free election is the preferred method of establishing a union’s representative status, e.g., NLRB v. Armcor Industries, 535 F.2d 239, 244 (3d Cir. 1976), as has this circuit. Ante at 292.
I am aware of and approve the legal standard of review that requires us to give deference to the Board on these matters. But I suggest that such deference is not warranted where the Board has merely set forth a litany, reciting conclusions by rote without any factual explication. NLRB v. Yeshiva University, 444 U.S. 672, 100 S.Ct. 856 (1980) (reliance on conclusions unsupported by factual analysis precludes grant of deference to Board’s expertise); see NLRB v. Pacific Southwest Airlines, 550 F.2d 1148, 1151-52 (9th Cir. 1977) (Board orders on findings should not be boilerplate); NLRB v. Kaiser Agr. Chem., Div. of Kaiser A&C Corp., 473 F.2d 374 (5th Cir. 1973) (same). However, a thorough, independent review of this record indicates that the bargaining order should be enforced. To send this case back, therefore, would be a wasted effort and delay. See Peerless of America, Inc. v. NLRB, 484 F.2d 1108 (7th Cir. 1973). However, I again emphasize that the better procedure, in my view, is the majority approach outlined above.