NLRB v. Hudson Transit Lines, Inc., 17999.

• Citation: 429 F.2d 1223
• Decision Date: 20 July 1970
• Docket Number: No. 17999.,17999.
• Parties: NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Petitioner, v. HUDSON TRANSIT LINES, INC.
• Court: United States Courts of Appeals. United States Court of Appeals (3rd Circuit)

429 F.2d 1223 (1970)

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD, Petitioner, v. HUDSON TRANSIT LINES, INC.

No. 17999.

United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit.

Argued April 9, 1970.

Decided July 20, 1970.

William J. Avrutis, Atty., N.L.R.B., Washington, D. C. (Arnold Ordman, Gen. Counsel, Dominick L. Manoli, Associate Gen. Counsel, Marcel Mallet-Prevost, Asst. Gen. Counsel, Peter Ames Eveleth, Atty., N.L.R.B., on the brief), for petitioner.

James H. Yauch, Jr., Yauch & Fagan, Newark, N. J. (James F. X. O'Brien, Associate Counsel, Newark, N. J., on the brief), for respondent.

Before SEITZ and ALDISERT, Circuit Judges, and LATCHUM, District Judge.

OPINION OF THE COURT

LATCHUM, District Judge.

The National Labor Relations Board, pursuant to § 10(e) of the National Labor Relations Act,¹ petitions for enforcement of its order² against Hudson Transit Lines, Inc. ("Hudson"). The Board found that Hudson had committed an unfair labor practice, in violation of § 8(a) (1) of the Act,³ by imposing without adequate business justification a reduction in the salary and fringe benefit payments of all company employees after the holding of a representation election by the company's bus operators and maintenance employees but before the certification of a bargaining representative.

Hudson is a common carrier primarily serving summer resort areas in New Jersey. Since 1950 the company's bus operators have been represented by the Transport Workers of America, Local 225 ("TWU").⁴ Since 1955 there have been six successive labor contracts between the company and TWU. Each of the contracts expired in mid-January. The last labor contract in effect prior to the events forming the subject of this application expired on January 15, 1967.

By an exchange of letters dated October 24 and 26, 1966, TWU and Hudson each signified its wish to open negotiations for a new contract. On October 27, 1966, the Independent Bus Transit Union ("IBTU") wrote the company, claiming to represent employees in the bargaining unit covered by the TWU contract and asked to negotiate. On October 28, 1966, IBTU filed a representation petition with the National Labor Relations Board pursuant to § 9 of the Act.⁵ After consultation and negotiation among representatives of Hudson, the Labor Board, and the two contesting unions, a representation election was held on January 9, 1967. Nine votes cast at the election were challenged. Because this challenge had the effect of delaying the certification of a bargaining representative, there was no certified bargaining agent for the employees of the company when the then existing collective bargaining agreement expired on January 15, 1967.

During the preliminary conferences in regard to the election, the company several times averted to the economic uncertainties which plagued the company, its very tight economic situation during the winter months and its desire that no delay occur in holding the election and determining the certified bargaining agent. For example, at the "informal conference" in the Board's regional office on November 10, 1966, John F. X. O'Brien, attorney for the respondent, offered to consent to an election, stating that the company "has serious economic problems" for it "counted on the summer revenues to offset the losses" incurred during the remainder of the year. Because of the seasonal nature of the company's business, it has operated at a profit only during June, July and August, and at a loss the remaining months of the year.⁶ Under its certificate of convenience from the Interstate Commerce Commission, Hudson was obligated to furnish reasonably adequate service to the public during the year, and also keep itself in sound economic condition to render this service.

At the formal hearing on November 15, 1967, Attorney O'Brien, during off-the-record discussions, repeated that the company was most anxious that the representation issue be brought to a head as soon as possible because the labor contract with TWU would expire January 15 and the company needed assurance for its summer operations. On January 9, after the election was held, and it was apparent that challenges to certain ballots and the anticipated filing of objections to the election by IBTU would delay final resolution of the election for at least a month, President Flateman of Hudson, as he later testified "was just besides himself." "I told the parties that unless somethings (sic) were done, unless the company had the assurance that we were going to be operating in the summer that we would have to make certain economic adjustments."

On January 13, 1967, two days prior to the expiration of the contract with TWU, Hudson circulated a letter to its employees referring to the "uncertainties of the present situation" and the resultant need for economies. The company said that it would postpone decision on the necessary economies until February 5, 1967 in the hope that the "uncertainties" would be resolved, "and a new contract mutually agreed upon." With IBTU's objections to the election still unresolved, the company announced in a letter of February 2, 1967 that because of continuing uncertainties the company planned to institute on February 5, 1967 certain economies applicable to all officers and employees. The economies consisted generally of a 10% wage reduction for all employees whose gross weekly wages exceeded $100 and the elimination of company contributions to Blue Shield, Major Medical and life insurance premiums, and the elimination of all accruals for vacations and paid holidays. These economies were put into effect on February 5, 1967.

On March 31, 1967, IBTU's objections to the conduct of the election were overruled and the challenges to the ballots resolved. TWU, found to have won the election by a vote of 106 to 100, was formally certified as the bargaining agent for unit employees. Negotiations between TWU and the company for a new contract commenced on April 7, 1967. The union initially demanded restoration in full of the economies and the company refused. The company later offered to restore the economies provided (1) all terms and conditions of a renewal contract were agreed upon by May 1st and (2) the renewal contract would itself expire in January. The union refused, stating that the men had waited "too long" for a later starting date and that the union would prefer to make the contract effective as of the date negotiations would be completed. Subsequently, on April 22, 1967, the parties executed a renewal contract covering the period May 31, 1967 to March 31, 1969. The new contract restored the vacation and paid holidays in full; the other reductions — the 10% cut in pay and the elimination of contribution to medical and life insurance — were restored only as of March 31, the effective date of the new contract and not as of February 5, the date these cuts had been made effective. The increases guaranteed to the union in the new contract were the most favorable in any contract up to that time. In accepting the new contract, however, TWU clearly indicated that it was not waiving its right to assert that the reductions were illegal from their inception.

Unfair labor practice charges were filed by IBTU on February 6, 1967 and by TWU on April 11, 1967. Both complaints charged that Hudson's imposition of the reduction in salary and benefits before the final resolution of the representation proceeding violated § 8(a) (1) and § 8(a) (3). After the filing of a complaint by the General Counsel, a hearing was held on September 21 and 22, 1967 before Trial Examiner Arthur Christopher. On December 9, 1967, Mr. Christopher died before completing his decision. The parties waived a hearing de novo and agreed that a decision should be made by a newly designated Trial Examiner on the basis of the record made before the original Trial Examiner. The new Trial Examiner, A. Norman Somers, designated according to this agreement, thereafter rendered a decision finding that Hudson had violated § 8(a) (1) and § 8(a) (3).⁷ The Board, in approving the Trial Examiner's decision and order, relied only on § 8(a) (1) and did not deem it necessary to determine whether the conduct in question also violated § 8(a) (3).

The basic standards for judicial review of an unfair labor practice finding by the Board under § 8(a) (1) have been stated in National Labor Relations Board v. Burnup & Sims, Inc., 379 U.S. 21, 85 S. Ct. 171, 13 L.Ed.2d 1 (1964) and Republic Aviation Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board, 324 U.S. 793, 65 S.Ct. 982, 89 L.Ed. 1372 (1945). In Burnup & Sims, the Court held that "the tendency" of the employer's conduct "to weaken or destroy" rights protected by § 7 is the controlling standard for determining a violation of § 8(a) (1). 379 U.S. 23-24, 85 S.Ct. 171. The Court further determined that finding an interference with § 7 rights, in violation of § 8(a) (1), "does not necessarily depend on the existence of an anti-union bias." 379 U.S. at 23, 85 S.Ct. at 172.⁸ In Republic Aviation Corp. v. N.L.R.B., 324 U.S. 793, 65 S.Ct. 982, 89 L.Ed. 1372 (1945), the Court affirmed a finding by the Board that the nondiscriminatory discharge of an employee who had solicited union membership while on company premises, for violation of a company rule against solicitation in the factory or offices of the company, constituted a violation of § 8(a) (1). The Court characterized this determination by the Board as the result of "working out an adjustment between the undisputed right of self-organization assured to employees under the Wagner Act and the equally undisputed right of employers to maintain discipline in their establishments." 324 U. S. 797-798, 65 S.Ct. 985. The Court further observed that the Wagner Act "did not undertake the impossible task of specifying in precise and unmistakable language each incident which would constitute an unfair labor practice" but left to the Board the primary responsibility for applying the Act's general...