Court Opinion

ID: 9465565
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 00:50:03.621002+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:39:14.867073
License: Public Domain

BARRETT, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent.
*942I do not believe that Torgove’s statement gave rise to a § 8(a)(1) violation. In his dissenting opinion Board Member Walther pertinently observed:
Finally, I cannot agree with my colleagues that Torgove’s statement to Hoffman that “anyone who picketed would never work for Respondent again” violated Section 8(a)(1) of the Act. Although such a statement would ordinarily constitute a violation of Section 8(a)(1), Respondent’s subsequent conduct in offering to reinstate both janitorial and maintenance employees effectively rebutted the import of the threat. As with Respondent’s other conduct discussed above, I would not divorce this single element of behavior from that which eventually transpired.
[R., Vol. Ill, p. 532.]
I agree with Board Member Walther. Under the facts of this case, Torgove’s isolated statement, if made, did not give rise to a Section 8(a)(1) violation. Assuming, arguendo, that Torgove made such a statement, even so, the conduct complained of could have had only a comparatively slight impact on employee rights. Intent thus becomes an important issue in determining whether an employer has committed an unfair labor practice. Under such circumstances, there must be subjective evidence of anti-union motivation in order to find that an employer has committed a violation. National Labor Relations Board v. Great Dane Trailers, Inc., 388 U.S. 26, 87 S.Ct. 1792, 18 L.Ed.2d 1027 (1967); Johns-Manville Products Corporation v. National Labor Relations Board, 557 F.2d 1126 (5th Cir. 1977); Cannady v. National Labor Relations Board, 466 F.2d 583 (10th Cir. 1972).
At the time of Torgove’s alleged statement on June 15, 1975, he was one of 50 owners of Albion and his ownership interest was two-thirds of 1 per cent. Torgove was personally employed on a full-time basis as a commercial real estate salesman. He was not involved in commercial building management or experienced in union-management affairs. Torgove first received notice of a union contract on June 9, 1975 and his alleged statement was made less than a week later when Albion’s attorney was still uncertain whether Albion was obligated to negotiate. On Thursday, June 12,1975 Torgove had been assured by several key employees that the union, which was aware of Albion’s financial plight, would work with Albion and that it would not strike; furthermore, on June 16, 1975, Albion reiterated its commitment to negotiate and bargain with union, because at that time it had decided it was obligated to do so. Inasmuch as Albion was willing to initiate negotiations the day after the alleged statement was made, and because there is no evidence indicating that the alleged statement was motivated by union animus, I would hold that a § 8(a)(1) violation did not occur. Three days prior to the day the alleged statement was made, Torgove had called all of the key people together and related, inter alia, that: Albion had terminated the previous building manager; he knew very little about the building and he was asking “for their greater help because we would need it in order to survive the next couple months”; and that the building was losing money and had lost money. Torgove was in a harried, vexed position. He was making every effort to salvage a business venture which he had a small interest in. His comments, if made, were certainly inopportune. Even so, I would view them as expressions of Torgove’s apprehension over the maintenance employees striking at a critical period, considering that three days prior thereto he had been assured of the union’s desire to work with Albion.
I am also unable to accept the majority opinion’s endorsement of the Board’s holding that Albion unlawfully refused to bargain with union in violation of § 8(a)(5) and 8(a)(1) of the Act.
The factual framework of the instant case does not warrant the Board’s holding that even though Albion’s refusal to bargain lasted only five days, the record nevertheless establishes a continuous course of such conduct. On the contrary, I would hold that the record evidences that Albion’s actions did not give rise to a refusal to bargain in good faith. The Board’s deter*943mination that Albion committed a § 8(a)(5) violation does not meet the substantial evidence test when we consider: Albion was first informed of the contract on June 9; Albion first saw the contract on June 11; Albion indicated its readiness to bargain on June 16; and Albion had at all times indicated its willingness to negotiate and bargain if it determined that it was bound by the improperly executed contract of its predecessor. The Board’s finding that Albion violated § 8(a)(5) under the facts presented herein is clearly arbitrary and capricious.
I am also unable to accept the majority's position that Albion imposed unlawful conditions on the reinstatement of the strikers, when the record is devoid of any evidence that the maintenance workers went on strike in protest of unfair labor practices. This is apparent, I believe, in light of the facts that Albion was first contacted by the union on June 9, 1975; Albion first met with union on June 11, 1975, and then saw the contract for the first time; and the next day, June 12, 1975, the maintenance employees voted to strike. As of June 12, 1975, Albion was yet attempting to digest the contract it had received only the day before. As of June 12,1975, Albion’s attorney had but one opportunity to discuss Albion’s position with union’s attorney. Also, as of June 12, 1975, the only affirmative statement Albion had made to union relative to negotiations and bargaining was that if it determined that it was bound by the Arapahoe contract, it would enter into collective bargaining with union.
Board asserts that the employees were aware that Albion was refusing to bargain when Crouch told them they had no new contract and none had been discussed. Board cannot pile inference upon inference in making such a case. Albion had not seen the contract before June 11, 1975. Crouch spoke to the employees the very next day. The dissenting opinion of Board Member Walther sets forth, in my view, the reason for the strike:
I must also dissent from my colleagues’ conclusion that the June 16 strike was an unfair labor practice strike, a conclusion I find to be completely unwarranted by the facts. The sole evidence of the maintenance employees’ motivation for striking consists of statements by Union Steward Hoffman and employee Larry Mitchell. Hoffman testified that the maintenance employees voted on June 12 that “if [the maintenance employees] didn’t have a contract when the collective-bargaining agreement expired [they] would go out on strike.” Mitchell’s statement describing what happened at the strike vote meeting is as follows:
Sam [Crouch] was our Union man. He met us there, and informed us that as of that date, we had a contract that would expire Saturday night at midnight, and we had no new contract and none had been discussed, and it was up to the men in the maintenance myself to decide whether we would strike or not.
This relatively sparse evidence concerning the maintenance and janitorial employees’ motivation for striking belies any inference that the strike was provoked or caused by Respondent’s alleged refusal to bargain. There is absolutely no evidence that the union membership was even made aware of Attorney Weinshienk’s June 11 postponement, much less that this factor played a part in motivating the strike vote. Rather, the facts clearly establish that the union membership voted to strike for a reason which customarily impels unions to strike — that is, because they had no contract — not because Respondent had not yet commenced bargaining.
[R., Vol. Ill, pp. 528-529.]
I would hold that the Board was clearly erroneous in finding and/or concluding that the strike was the result of an unfair labor practice committed by Albion. In my view, Albion had legitimate, sound business reasons to restrict the conditions relating to the employees’ return to work. These reasons included Albion’s perilous financial position, the show of potential violence on the picket line, and the sabotage that had occurred in the building. Here, then, Albion *944established that its refusal to unconditionally reinstate the employees was predicated on “legitimate and substantial business justification” enunciated in National Labor Relations Board v. Fleetwood Trailer Co., 389 U.S. 375, 88 S.Ct. 543, 19 L.Ed.2d 614 (1967) and “economic justification” recognized by this court in M. S. P. Industries, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board, 568 F.2d 166 (10th Cir. 1977).
I would deny enforcement of the Board’s order. In my view, Albion proceeded in good faith at all times.