Aurora Gasoline Co.

National Labor Relations Board - Board Decisions

Jul 12, 1960

128 N.L.R.B. 37 (N.L.R.B. 1960)

AURORA GASOLINE COMPANY 37
discipline and transfer, following which the superintendent conducts
a separate investigation. On these facts and the record as a whole
we find that the unit foremen do not possess supervisory authority
within the meaning of the Act, and therefore include them in the
unit.'
The payroll clerk, Arlene Morris, takes care of the production pay-
roll only. Her work area is on the production floor, whereas the
payroll clerk for the salaried payroll works in the general office. We
find that she is a plant clerical employee and include her in the unit.
Charles Still works in the plant where he gathers up the shrinkage
and seconds. He reports information pertaining thereto to the plant
payroll clerk. We include him in the unit.
We find that the following employees constitute a unit appropriate
for the purposes of collective bargaining within the meaning of Sec-
tion 9 (b) of the Act :
All production and maintenance employees at the Employer's War-
ren, Pennsylvania, plant, including cafeteria employees, quality con-
trol employees, outside truckdrivers, unit foremen or crew leaders,
and the shrinkage and seconds man, but excluding office clerical em-
ployees, the mail clerk, professional employees, guards, and supervi-
sors as defined in the Act.
[Text of Direction of Election omitted from publication.]
7 Lampcraft Industries , Inc., et at., 127 NLRB 92. The parties stipulated at the
hearing that unit foreman Frank Arnold is a supervisor as he substitutes for the plant
superintendent when the latter is absent from the plant , we exclude him.
Aurora Gasoline Company and Cylinder, Gas, Chemical, Petro-
leum and Accessory Drivers , Helpers and Inside Employees,
Local Union No. 283 , of the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, Ind., Petitioner. Case No. 7-RC-4354. July 12,
1960
DECISION AND DIRECTION OF ELECTIONS
Upon a petition duly filed under Section 9 (c) of the National Labor
Relations Act, a hearing was held before Alfred J. Morad, hearing
officer. The hearing officer's rulings made at the hearing are free
from prejudicial error and are hereby affirmed.'
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 3 (b) of the Act the Board has
delegated its powers in connection with this case to a three-member
panel [Chairman Leedom and Members Rodgers and Jenkins].
1 The hearing officer 's ruling, rejecting as evidence past contracts between the Employer
and the Intervenor , is affirmed for the reasons stated in paragraph numbered 3, infra.
128 NLRB No. 3.
577684-61-vol 128-4
38 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
Upon the entire record in this case, the Board finds :
1. The Employer is engaged in commerce within the meaning of the
Act.
2. The labor organizations involved claim to represent certain
employees of the Employer.2
3. The Employer and the Intervenor moved to dismiss the petition
on the ground that their current contract is a bar to an election at this
time. The Petitioner contends that the contract contains an invalid
union-security clause which does not expressly grant old nonmember
employees the required statutory 30-day grace period, and the contract
therefore cannot operate as a bar. The Employer and the Intervenor
oppose this contention, asserting that all their previous contracts con-
tained valid union-security clauses, with the result that all old em-
ployees were members of the Union on the effective date of the current
agreement, and therefore were not entitled to any additional 30-day
grace period under the rule announced in the Charles A. Krause Mill-
ing Co. case.'
Section 4 of the current contract reads as follows :
As a condition of continuing employment with the Company, all
employees covered by this agreement shall have to be and remain
members in good standing of the Union, except that new em-
ployees shall have to become members of the Union no later than
immediately after the completion of their first thirty (30) calen-
dar days of employment with the Company.
In Keystone Coat, Apron & Towel Supply Company, et al.,4 the
Board held that contracts whose union-'security clauses do not ex-
pressly grant old, nonmember employees the statutory 30-day grace
period within which they are not required to join the Union will no
longer be treated as bars to elections .5 It is clear that the union-
security clause herein does not expressly grant old, nonmember em-
ployees the required 30-day grace period. Further, the Board also
decided that no extrinsic evidence will be admissible in a representa-
tion proceeding for the purpose of determining the validity of a union-
security clause that does not on its face conform to the statutory re-
quirements.6 As no extrinsic, or external, evidence can be used, as
urged by the Employer, to show that the union-security clause herein
does, in fact, conform to the requirements of the Act, we deny the
Employer's motion to reopen the record for the purpose of receiving
1011, Chemical and Atomic Workers, International Union, AFL-CIO, and its Local
No. 11-456, herein called the Intervenor , intervened at the hearing on the basis of a
contract interest
3 97 NLRB 536.
4121 NLRB 880
5 Jbid, at page 884 The Krause case, relied upon by the Employer and the Intervenor,
was thereby overruled.
6 Ibid, at page 886.
AURORA GASOLINE COMPANY 39
the prior agreements in evidence. Accordingly, we find that the cur-
rent contract between the Employer and the Intervenor is no bar to an
election at this time, and deny the motions to dismiss.
4. The Petitioner seeks a unit composed of the production, process,
and maintenance employees employed at the Employer's Detroit,
Michigan, refinery, excluding professional, technical, administrative,
secretarial, and clerical employees, guards, and supervisors. Al-
though the parties are in general agreement as to the unit description,
the Employer would exclude the laboratory employees, consisting of
approximately 6 chemists and 17 technicians. The Employer would
exclude the chemists as professional employees, and the technicians as
technical employees. Although the terms of the unit description in
the current contract and in prior contracts, purport to exclude both
professional and technical employees from the unit, the parties concede
that the laboratory employees have been bargained for by the Inter-
venor and are covered by the present agreement, and the Petitioner
would include them in its requested unit.
The laboratory employees work in a building located apart from the
production area, punch a separate timeclock, and use a separate park-
ing lot. In all other respects, their working conditions and benefits
are the same as those of production employees.
The chemists are required to have at least a bachelor of science
degree in chemistry. They spend the major portion of their time in-
vestigating and analyzing the content of unknown materials and in de-
veloping quality tests used by the technicians. They rely heavily on
their own discretion and judgment in the performance of their duties.
As the work and the educational requirements of the chemists fall with-
in the definition of "professional employee," as set forth in Section
2(12) (a) of the Act, we find that they are professional employees.'
The Employer now requires that applicants being hired as tech-
nicians must have completed at least 2 years of college training or its
equivalent with particular emphasis upon their training or experience
in the field of chemistry. Although the Employer has several em-
ployees who do not meet the foregoing educational requirements, the
record shows that these employees, who have been employed as tech-
nicians since the 1940's, possess equivalent training. The technicians
spend the major portion of their time in the laboratory running tests
on the Employer's products and catalysts. The individual tests are
developed and standardized by the chemists, and range from the
simple "cook book" type to very complex ones. The technicians con-
duct these tests without any immediate supervision, take their own
readings, and compute the results. When deviations from the estab-
lished norms occur, they refer the results to either the chemists, the
4 See Western Electric Company, Incorporated , 126 NLRB 1346
40 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
production foreman, or the production operators involved, depending
upon the extent of deviation and the possible damage or loss that may
result if production continues where the desired production quality
is not achieved. In performing the tests, the technicians utilize equip-
ment that varies from simple to highly complex designs. On the basis
of all the foregoing, we find that the record affirmatively supports a
finding that all the laboratory employees are technical employees, and
we so find.'
As the Employer objects to the inclusion of the technical employees,
including the professionals, in the production and maintenance unit,
we shall, in accord with well-established Board policy, exclude them
from the production and maintenance unit hereinafter found
appropriate.'
We find that all production, process, and maintenance employees,
employed at the Employer's Detroit, Michigan, refinery, excluding all
professional employees, technical employees, administrative em-
ployees, secretarial and office clerical employees, guards, and super-
visors as defined in the Act, constitute a unit appropriate for the pur-
pose of collective bargaining within the meaning of Section 9 (b) of
the Act.
However, as the laboratory employees have been bargained for in
the past, and, as technicals, are entitled to separate representation,'°
we shall therefore make no unit determination with respect to these
employees at this time, but shall first ascertain their desires as ex-
pressed in the elections hereinafter directed.
As Section 9(b) (1) of the Act precludes the Board from including
in a single bargaining unit professional and nonprofessional em-
ployees, without according to the former an opportunity of separately
expressing their desires respecting such inclusion, we shall place the
professional employees in a separate voting group.
We shall also direct separate elections in the following voting
groups:
(a) All professional employees employed at the Employer's labora-
tory located at its Detroit, Michigan, refinery, excluding all other
employees and supervisors as defined in the Act.
(b) All technicians employed at the Employer's laboratory located
at its Detroit, Michigan, refinery, excluding all professional employees
and all other employees and supervisors as defined in the Act.ll
8 Humble Ott & Refining Company, 115 NLRB 1485, 1488 ; United States Gypsum Com-
pany, 114 NLRB 1285, 1290
9 Humble Oil & Refining Company, supra, at page 1487. See also , Litton Industries of
Maryland, Incorporated, 125 NLRB 722
10 Ciba Products Corporation , 109 NLRB 873
"The record does not indicate that the Employer employs any other technical em-
ployees. Further, although the Petitioner desires to appear on any ballot involving these
employees we have not been administratively advised as to the sufficiency of the Peti-
tioner ' s showing of interest among the employees in each voting group , or whether the-
AURORA GASOLINE COMPANY 41
The professional employees in voting group (a) will be asked two
questions on their ballot :
(1) Do you desire to be included with the nonprofessional em-
ployees in a unit composed of all laboratory employees at the
Employer's Detroit, Michigan, refinery?
(2) Do you desire to be represented by Cylinder Gas, Chemical,
Petroleum and Accessory Drivers, Helpers and Inside Employees,
Local Union No. 238, of the International Brotherhood of Team-
sters, Ind. ; or by Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers, Interna-
tional Union, AFL-CIO and its Local 11-456; or by neither?
If a majority of the professional employees in voting group (a) vote
"Yes" to the first question indicating their wish to be included in a
unit with the nonprofessional technical employees they will be so
included. Their votes on the second question will then be counted
together with the votes of the nonprofessional voting group (b) to
decide their representative for the whole unit. If, on the other hand,
a majority of the professional employees in voting group (a) vote
against inclusion, they will not be included with the nonprofessional
employees in voting group (b). Their votes on the second question
will then be counted separately to decide which union, if either, they
want to represent them in a separate professional unit.
Our unit determination respecting the laboratory or technical em-
ployees, is based in part, then, upon the results of the elections. How-
ever, we now make the following findings :
(1) If a majority of the professional laboratory employees vote
for inclusion in a unit with the nonprofessional laboratory employees,
and a majority of employees in voting groups (a) and (b) vote for
representation, we find that the following employees will constitute a
unit appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining within the
meaning of Section 9 (b) of the Act :
All professional and nonprofessional employees employed at the
Employer's laboratory located at its Detroit, Michigan, refinery, ex-
cluding all other employees and supervisors as defined in the Act.
(2) If a majority of the professional employees do not vote for
inclusion in the unit with the nonprofessional employees, but vote for
representation and, if a majority of the nonprofessional employees
Intervenor desires to represent them in separate units . Accordingly , we shall instruct the
Regional Director not to proceed with the elections directed in these voting groups until
be shall have first determined that the Petitioner has made an adequate showing of
interest among the eligible employees in each voting group, or that the Intervenor desires
to represent them in separate units. In the event the Petitioner does not have an ade-
quate showing of interest among these employees , and the Intervenor fails to notify the
Regional Director , within 10 days from the date of this Direction, whether it desires to
represent them separately , we shall vacate the Direction of Elections as to these groups.
In the event the Petitioner has a sufficient showing of interest among these employees,
and the Intervenor fails to notify the Regional Director within 10 days from this Direction
that it desires to appear on the ballot in the elections , the Regional Director is instructed
to proceed with the elections with only the name of the Petitioner appearing on the ballots.
42 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
vote for representation, we find that the following will constitute
separate units appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining
within the meaning of Section 9(b) of the Act:
(a) All professional employees employed at the Employer's lab-
oratory located at its Detroit, Michigan, refinery, excluding all other
employees and supervisors as defined in the Act.
(b) All nonprofessional employees employed at the Employer's
laboratory located at its Detroit, Michigan, refinery, excluding all
other employees and supervisors as defined in the Act.
(3) In the event a majority of the professional employees do not
vote for inclusion in the unit with the nonprofessional employees
and vote against representation we find that the following employees
will constitute a unit appropriate for the purposes of collective bar-
gaining within the meaning of Section 9(b) of the Act:
All nonprofessional employees employed at the Employer's lab-
oratory located at its Detroit, Michigan, refinery excluding all other
employees and supervisors as defined in the Act.
(4) In all other circumstances, the Employer's laboratory em-
ployees, professional and nonprofessional, shall remain unrepresented.
[Text of Direction of Elections omitted from publication.]
Lenox Plastics of P.R., Inc . and Juana Rodriguez de Garcia and
Angelina Rivera de Pereira . Cases Nos. 24-CA-1124 and 24-CA-
1127. July 13, 1960
DECISION AND ORDER
On March 10, 1960, Trial Examiner David London issued his
Intermediate Report in the above-entitled proceeding, finding that
the Respondent had engaged in and was engaging in certain unfair
labor practices and recommending that it cease and desist therefrom
and take certain affirmative action, as set forth in the copy of the
Intermediate Report attached hereto. The Trial Examiner also
found that the Respondent had not engaged in other unfair labor
practices alleged in the complaint and recommended that such allega-
tions be dismissed. Thereafter, the Respondent filed exceptions to
the Intermediate Report and a supporting brief.'
1 we find no merit in the Respondent ' s exceptions to the Trial Examiner 's finding that
Union de Empleados de Productos Plasticos y otros Similares de P.R ., Independiente, is
a labor organization . The record shows that the aforesaid union was at all times mate-
rial herein a labor organization within the meaning of Section 2 ( 5) of the Act.
The General Counsel filed no exception to the Trial Examiner 's recommendation that
the complaint be dismissed insofar as it alleged that Respondent discriminated against
Angelina Rivera de Pereira in violation of Section 8(a)(3) and (1).
128 NLRB No. 2.