NLRB v. Hotel Conquistador, Inc.
Decision Date | 10 July 1968 |
Docket Number | No. 22330.,22330. |
Citation | 398 F.2d 430 |
Parties | NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Petitioner, v. HOTEL CONQUISTADOR, INC., d/b/a Hotel Tropicana, Respondent. |
Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit |
Gary Green (argued), N.L.R.B., Arnold Ordman, Gen. Counsel, Dominick L. Manoli, Associate Gen. Counsel, Marcel Mallet-Prevost, Asst. Gen. Counsel, Elliott Moore, Thomas Smith, Attys. N.L. R.B., Washington, D. C., Paul A. Cassady, Riector, N.L.R.B., Los Angeles, Cal., for appellant.
David Self (argued), Nathan R. Berke of Severson, Werson, Berke & Bull, San Francisco, Cal., Sidney R. Korshak, Chicago, Ill., Albert M. Dreyer, Las Vegas, Nev., for appellee.
Before: BARNES and CARTER, Circuit Judges, and SWEIGERT,* District Judge.
Pursuant to section 10(e) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 160(e) (1964), the National Labor Relations Board has petitioned for enforcement of an order issued by the Board against Hotel Conquistador, Inc., doing business as the Hotel Tropicana. The decision and order of the Board, announced on June 24, 1966, are reported at 159 N.L.R.B. No. 105.
In its decision the Board found, in accord with the trial examiner, that the respondent
(a) discharged from its employ one Frank Yockmen because of his union activity, thereby violating sections 8(a) (1) and 8(a) (3) of the N.L.R.A., 29 U.S.C. § 158(a) (1), (3) (1964);
(b) interrogated Yockmen concerning his union activity, in violation of section 8(a) (1) of the Act; and
(c) gave Yockmen the impression, contrary to section 8(a) (1), that it was conducting surveillance of persons engaging in union activity.
Respondent claims that no charge was ever filed with the Board concerning the latter two issues, and that those issues therefore should not have been considered by the Board. In addition, and alternatively, respondent contends that none of the findings set out above is supported by substantial evidence.
Respondent operates the Hotel Tropicana, one of the large casino-hotels that dot the Las Vegas "Strip." Yockmen, the employee in question, was during the period here in question respondent's head slot machine mechanic. On April 7, 1964, Yockmen became a member of the American Federation of Casino and Gaming Employees, and subsequently became recording secretary of the union, and a member of its executive board. In May 1964 he took a key part in an organizational drive undertaken by the union at the Tropicana.
The direct evidence supporting the Board's findings of unfair labor practices may be briefly set out:
1. In June 1964 Harry Farnow, supervisor of respondent's slot machine department, entered the repair shop where Yockmen was working, and on the wall of which was posted a petition for representation that had been filed by the union. Yorkmen's entire testimony concerning the encounter is as follows:
2. On August 6, 1964, Yockmen was making his rounds in the Tropicana casino and stopped to talk to George Harvey, a supervisor of respondent's dealers. Their conversation as recalled by Yockmen is fully set out in the following excerpt from the record:
3. Sometime in August 19641 Thomas Hanley, business manager for the union, requested that the Nevada Industrial Commission investigate an accident involving Yockmen at respondent's place of business. Shortly thereafter Yockmen was called to the office of respondent's paymistress. Lucretia Rozelle. Again we quote his testimony:
4. On September 1, 1964, at Farnow's direction, Yockmen was dismissed from his position with respondent.2
The charge filed with the Board by the union on September 29, 1964, alleged only that Yockmen had been discharged for union activity, in violation of sections 8(a) (1) and (3) of the Act. The Board's complaint, however, which was issued on April 2, 1965, included also the allegation that Harvey's comments had given an impression that respondent was engaging in "surveillance" of the union activities of its employees, contrary to section 8(a) (1). And on the second day of the hearing before the trial examiner, the Board successfully moved for an amendment to the complaint, to include an allegation that Farnow, in his repair-shop conversation with Yockmen, had "interrogated" the latter concerning his union activity, contrary to section 8 (a) (1). Respondent's initial contention is that the latter two allegations were not properly before the trial examiner, since they were not included in the original charge.
In NLRB v. Dinion Coil Co., 201 F.2d 484, 491 (2d Cir. 1952), cited in our Osbrink opinion and recently reaffirmed as authority in Exber, Inc. v. NLRB, 390 F. 2d 127 (9th Cir. 1968), the rule for determining whether a complaint issued by the Board is properly supported by the charge is set out as follows:
"If a charge was filed and served within six months after the violations alleged in the charge, the complaint (or amended complaint), although filed after the six months, may allege violations not alleged in the charge if (a) they are closely related to the violations named in the charge, and (b) occurred within six months before the filing of the charge."
Here the additional allegations are sufficiently "closely related" to those contained in the original charge so that the "relation back" theory may properly be applied. Those allegations concern actions by respondent purportedly indicating its opposition to Yockmen's participation in the union, and presaging his allegedly improper dismissal. The Board's responsibility for vindicating the public interest would be unnecessarily restricted if it were strictly limited to the specific allegations contained in the charges filed with it. See Texas Indus. v. NLRB, 336 F.2d 128, 131-132 (5th Cir. 1964); NLRB v. Kohler Co., 220 F.2d 3, 6-8 (7th Cir. 1955).4 Respondent does not contend here that it was prejudiced in any way by the "relation back."
The Board found that Farnow's question to Yockmen — the question whether Yockmen "knew anything about" the representation petition — constituted an impermissible "interrogation" of the latter concerning his union activities. We are unable to conclude that this finding is supported by substantial evidence.
The question just referred to constituted the whole of Farnow's part of the conversation; after Yockmen's reply, Farnow "walked out of the casino." There was no testimony that Farnow's demeanor was in any way threatening. We think the Second Circuit's opinion in Bourne v. NLRB, 332 F.2d 47, 48 (2d Cir.1964) (per curiam), provides helpful guidelines for dealing with the question of...
To continue reading
Request your trial-
Chauffeurs, Teamsters and Helpers, Local 633 of New Hampshire v. N.L.R.B.
...1020 n. 9 (4th Cir. 1972); Corriveau & Rothier Cement Block, Inc. v. NLRB, 410 F.2d 347, 349 (1st Cir. 1969); NLRB v. Hotel Conquistador, 398 F.2d 430, 434 (9th Cir. 1969); Jervis Corp. v. NLRB, 387 F.2d 107, 111 n. 3 (6th Cir. 1967); NLRB v. Ritchie Mfg. Co., 354 F.2d 90, 99 (8th Cir. 1966......
-
Hecla Min. Co. v. N.L.R.B.
...NLRB v. Huntsville Manu. Co., 514 F.2d 723 (5th Cir. 1975); Utrad Corp. v. NLRB, 454 F.2d 520 (7th Cir. 1971); NLRB v. Hotel Conquistador, Inc., 398 F.2d 430 (9th Cir. 1968), the Hearing Officer failed to analyze the status of Olson or Huntington and concluded that they were "responsible me......
-
Santa Fe Drilling Company v. NLRB
...A number of factors must be considered in determining whether such interrogation is coercive. (See N. L. R. B. v. Hotel Conquistador, Inc. (9th Cir. 1968) 398 F.2d 430, 434; N. L. R. B. v. Milco, Inc. (2d Cir. 1968) 388 F.2d 133; N. L. R. B. v. Consolidated Rendering Co. (2d Cir. 1967) 386 ......
-
NLRB v. Deutsch Company, Metal Components Division
...violative of Section 8(a) (1) of the Act. To this effect the Courts have ruled on numerous occasions. N.L.R.B. v. Hotel Conquistador, Inc., 398 F.2d 430 (9th Cir. 1968); Don the Beachcomber v. N.L.R.B., 390 F.2d 344 (9th Cir. 1968); Salinas Valley Broadcasting Corp. v. N.L.R.B., 334 F.2d 60......