National Labor Relations Board v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corporation, 436

• Citation: 123 A.L.R. 599,306 U.S. 240,59 S.Ct. 490,83 L.Ed. 627
• Decision Date: 27 February 1939
• Docket Number: No. 436,436
• Parties: NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD v. FANSTEEL METALLURGICAL CORPORATION
• Court: United States Supreme Court

306 U.S. 240

59 S.Ct. 490

83 L.Ed. 627

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

v FANSTEEL METALLURGICAL CORPORATION.

No. 436.

Argued Jan. 12, 13, 1939.

Decided Feb. 27, 1939.

The Attorney General, and Mr. Charles Fahy, of Washington, D.C., for petitioner.

[Argument of Counsel from pages 241-243 intentionally omitted] Mr. Max Swiren, of Chicago, Ill., for respondent.

[Argument of Counsel from pages 244-246 intentionally omitted] Mr. Chief Justice HUGHES delivered the opinion of the Court.

The Circuit Court of Appeals set aside an order of the National Labor Relations Board requiring respondent to desist from labor practices found to be in violation of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 151 et seq., and to offer reinstatement to certain discharged employees with back pay. While the other portions of the Board's order are under review, the principal question presented relates to the authority of the Board to require respondent to reinstate employees who were discharged because of their unlawful conduct in seizing respondent's property in what is called a 'sit-down strike'.

Respondent, Fansteel Metallurgical Corporation, is engaged at North Chicago, Illinois, in the manufacture and sale of products made from rare metals. No question is raised as to the intimate relation of its operations to interstate commerce or the effect upon that commerce of the unfair labor practices with which the corporation is charged. The findings of the Board show that in the summer of 1936 a group of employees organized Lodge 66 under the auspices of a committee of the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers of North America; that respondent employed a 'labor spy' to engage in espionage within the Union and his employment was continued until about December 1, 1936; that on September 10, 1936, respondent's superintendent was requested to meet with a committee of the union and the superintendent required that the committee should con- sist only of employees of five years' standing; that a committee, so constituted, presented a contract relating to working conditions; that the superintendent objected to 'closed-shop and check-off provisions' and announced that it was respondent's policy to refuse recognition to 'outside' unions; that on September 21, 1936, the superintendent refused to confer with the committee in which an 'outside' organizer had been included; that meanwhile, and later, respondent's representatives sought to have a 'company union' set up but the attempt proved abortive; that from November, 1936, to January, 1937, the superintendent required the president of the Union to work in a room adjoining the superintendent's office with the purpose of keeping him away from the other workers; that while in September, 1936, the Union did not have a majority of the production and maintenance employees, an appropriate unit for collective bargaining, by February 17, 1937, 155 of respondent's 229 employees in that unit had joined the Union and had designated it as their collective bargaining representative; that on that date, a committee of the Union met twice with the superintendent who refused to bargain with the Union as to rates of pay, hours and conditions of employment, the refusal being upon the ground that respondent would not deal with an 'outside' union.

Shortly after the second meeting in the afternoon of February 17th the Union committee decided upon a 'sit-down strike' by taking over and holding two of respondent's 'key' buildings. These were thereupon occupied by about 95 employees. Work stopped and the remainder of the plant also ceased operations. Employees who did not desire to participate were permitted to leave, and a number of Union members who were on the night shift and did not arrive for work until after the seizure did not join their fellow members inside the buildings. At about six o'clock in the evening the superintendent accompanied by police officials and respondent's counsel, went to each of the buildings and demanded that the men leave. They refused and respondent's counsel 'thereupon announced in loud tones that all the men in the plant were discharged for the seizure and retention of the buildings'. The men continued to occupy the buildings until February 26, 1937. Their fellow members brought them food, blankets, stoves, cigarettes and other supplies.

On February 18th, respondent obtained from the state court an injunction order requiring the men to surrender the premises. The men refused to obey the order and a writ of attachment for contempt was served on February 19th. Upon the men's refusal to submit, a pitched battle ensued and the men successfully resisted the attempt by the sheriff to evict and arrest them. Efforts at mediation on the part of the United States Department of Labor and the Governor of Illinois proved unavailing. On February 26th the sheriff with an increased force of deputies made a further attempt and this time, after another battle, the men were ousted and placed under arrest. Most of them were eventually fined and given jail sentences for violating the injunction.

Respondent on regaining possession undertook to resume operations and production gradually began. By March 12th the restaffing was approximately complete. A large number of the strikers, including many who had participated in the occupation of the buildings, were individually solicited to return to work with back pay but without recognition of the Union. Some accepted the offer and were reinstated; others refused to return unless there were union recognition and mass reinstatement and were still out at the time of the hearing before the Board. New men were hired to fill the positions of those remaining on strike.

Meanwhile the Union was not inactive. On March 3d and 5th there were requests, which respondent refused for meetings to consider the recognition of the Union for collective bargaining. There was no collective request for reinstatement of all the strikers. The position of practically all the strikers who did not go back, and who were named in the complaint filed with the Board, was 'that they were determined to stay out until the Union reached a settlement with the respondent'.

Early in April a labor organization known as Rare Metal Workers of America, Local No. 1, was organized among respondent's employees. There was a meeting in one of respondent's buildings on April 15th, which was attended by about 200 employees and the balloting resulted in a vote of 185 to 15 in favor of the formation of an 'independent' organization. Another meeting was held soon after for the election of officers. Respondent accorded these efforts various forms of support. The Board concluded that the Rare Metal Workers of America, Local No. 1, was the result of the respondent's 'anti-union campaign' and that respondent had dominated and interfered with its formation and administration.

Upon the basis of these findings and its conclusions of law, the Board made its order directing respondent to desist from interfering with its employees in the exercise of their right to self-organization and to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing as guaranteed in Section 7 of the Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 157; from dominating or interfering with the formation or administration of the Rare Metal Workers of America, Local No. 1, or any other labor organization of its employees or contributing support thereto; and from refusing to bargain collectively with the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers of North America, Lodge 66, as the exclusive representative of the employees described. The Board also ordered the following affirmative action which it was found would 'effectuate the policies' of the Act;—that is, upon request, to bargain collectively with the Amal- gamated Association as stated above; to offer, upon application, to the employees who went on strike on February 17, 1937, and thereafter, 'immediate and full reinstatement to their former positions', with back pay, dismissing, if necessary, all persons hired since that date; to withdraw all recognition from Rare Metal Workers of America, Local No. 1, as a representative of the employees for the purpose of dealing with respondent as to labor questions and to 'completely disestablish' that organization as such representative; and to post notices of compliance. 5 N.L.R.B. 930.

The Board found that respondent had not engaged in unfair labor practices by 'discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment' in order to 'encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization', and accordingly the complaint under Section 8(3) of the Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 158(3), was dismissed. Id.

On respondent's petition, the Circuit Court of Appeals set aside the Board's order (7 Cir., 98 F.2d 375) and this Court granted certiorari, 305 U.S. 590, 59 S.Ct. 230, 83 L.Ed. —-, November 21, 1938.

First.—The unfair labor practices. The Board concluded that byy 'the anti-union statements and actions' of the superintendent on September 10, 1936, and September 21, 1936, by 'the campaign to introduce into the plant a company union', by 'the isolation of the union president from contact with his fellow employees', and by the employment and use of a 'labor spy', respondent had interfered with its employees, and restrained and coerced them, in the exercise of their right to self-organization guaranteed in Section 7 of the Act and thus had engaged in an unfair labor practice under Section 8(1) of the Act.

Owing to the fact that in September, 1936, the Union did not have a majority of the employees in the appropriate unit, the Board held that it was precluded from finding unfair labor practices in refusing to bargain collectively at that time, but the Board found that there was such a refusal on February 17, 1937, when the Union did have a majority of the employees in the appropriate unit, and that this constituted a violation of Section 8(5)....