Beaunit Mills, Inc.

National Labor Relations Board - Board Decisions

Aug 2, 1954

109 N.L.R.B. 651 (N.L.R.B. 1954)

BEAUNIT MILLS, INC. 651
BEAUNIT MILLS, INC., COOSA PINES DIVISION 1 and LOCAL UNION No.
91, UNITED ASSOCIATION OF JOURNEYMEN AND APPRENTICES OF THE
PLUMBING AND PIPEFITTING INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES AND
CANADA, AFL, and LODGE No. 985, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
MACHINISTS, AFL, and INTERNATIONAL CHEMICAL WORKERS UNION.
AFL, and LOCAL UNION No. 1629, INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF
ELECTRICAL WORKERS, AFL, PETITIONERS. Cases Nos. 10-RC-24611
2493, 2494, 2495, 2496, 2506, 2507, 2527, and 2534. August 2,1954
Decision, Order, and Direction of Elections
Upon separate petitions filed under Section 9 (c) of the National
Labor Relations Act, a consolidated hearing was held in the above-
entitled cases before John C. Carey, Jr., hearing officer. The hearing
officer's rulings made at the hearing are free from prejudicial error
and are hereby affirmed. At the hearing, the Employer and the
United Textile Workers of America, AFL, herein termed the,Textile
Workers, moved to dismiss the petition in Case No. 10-RC-2527 on
the ground that the Board had not made a proper administrative de-
termination of the showing of interest of the Petitioner herein. The
motion, referred to the Board by the hearing officer, is hereby denied 2
Motions to dismiss, in Case No. 10-RC-2527 and in the remaining cases
herein, grounded on the contention that the unit or units requested are
inappropriate, also submitted by the Employer and the Textile Work-
ers at the hearing and referred to the Board, are granted or denied in
accordance with the findings set forth hereinafter under paragraph
numbered 4. On February 5, 1954, after the hearing had closed, the
Employer moved to correct certain errors in the transcript of hearing,
and, on February 10, Local Union 91, United Association of Journey-
men and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of
the United States and Canada, AFL, herein termed the Plumbers,
filed general opposition to the motion of the Employer. The motion to
correct the transcript of hearing is hereby granted.
Upon the entire record in these cases, the Board finds:
1. The Employer is engaged in commerce within the meaning of
the National Labor Relations Act.
2. The labor organizations involved claim to represent certain em-
ployees of the Employer.
3. A question affecting commerce exists concerning the representa-
tion of certain employees of the Employer within the meaning of
Section 9 (c) (1) and Section 2 (6) and (7) of the Act.
I The name of the Employer appears as amended at the hearing.
2 See Kearney it Trecker Corporation, 95 NLRB 1125.
8 The Textile workers were granted intervention at the hearing by the hearing officer
on showing of a contractual interest in the representation of employees included in the
various units sought in these petitions
109 NLRB No. 95.
652 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
4. The Employer is engaged in the manufacture of rayon yarn. Its
Childersburg, Alabama, plant, was placed in operation in 1949 and is
known as the Coosa Pines Division. The Childersburg plant employs
approximately 1,000 employees and is in continuous operation on a 24-
hour day, 7-day week basis. In 1949, prior to the commencement of
actual production, Local 136 of the International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers was certified by the Board as collective-bargain-
ing representative of the filter plant and powerhouse employees at
the Childersburg location. Thereafter, in the fall of 1949, the Tex-
tile Workers were certified by the Board as collective-bargaining rep-
resentative of the production and maintenance employees excluding
the powerhouse group previously certified. The bargaining rela-
tionship established at that time has continued to the present date.
The Plumbers, in Case No. 10-RC-2461, requests that the Board
find appropriate a unit of all maintenance pipefitters, welders, instru-
ment mechanics, their helpers, and air-conditioning men. Local
Union No. 1629, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,
AFL, herein termed the Electricians, requests, in Case No. 10-RC-
2534, a unit consisting of all maintenance electricians, helpers, and the
electrician oiler. In Cases Nos. 10-RC-2493, 2494, 2495, 2496, 2506,
and 2507, respectively, Lodge No. 985, International Association of
Machinists, AFL, herein termed the IAM, requests that the Board
find appropriate separate units of (a) all carpenters and beam assem-
blers, (b) all plant automotive truckdrivers, (c) all millwrights and
their helpers, (d) all machinists, all millwrights, all mechanics, all
shift maintenance mechanics, all power servicemen, all oilers, and all
maintenance helpers including spraymen, filtermen, and machine
cleaners, (e) all painters, and (f) all laborers including power and/or
lift truck operators. The International Chemical Workers Union,
AFL, herein termed the Chemical Workers, seeks, in Case No. 10-
RC-2537, separate units of (a) all employees in the laboratory de-
partment, (b) all employees in the viscose, bleach, and spinning de-
partments, or (c) a combination of the two requested groups. Sev-
eral of the Petitioners also expressed alternative positions which are
discussed hereinafter.
The Employer and the Textile Workers both vigorously oppose the
petitions in their entirety and contend that the only appropriate unit
for purposes of collective bargaining at the Childersburg plant is the
broad production and maintenance unit now represented by the Tex-
tile Workers. In support of this contention, the -Employer and the
Textile Workers stress, as an overall consideration, the high degree of
integration of the Childersburg plant and the interdependence and
coordination of all production processes and employee duties therein.
The Employer and the Textile Workers also assert that the rayon and
synthetics industry as a whole have developed a predominantly in-
BEAUNIT MILLS, INC. 653
-dustrial type of organization and representation and that the entry
of craft representation into the industry would lead to great numbers
of unions bargaining for employees at the same plant to the detriment
of production and employees' interests. The Board has, however,
recently ruled that "the right of separate representation should not
be denied the members of a craft group merely because they are em-
ployed in an industry which involves highly integrated production
processes and in which the prevailing pattern of bargaining is in-
dustrial in character." 4 At the same time, however, the Board set
forth certain considerations which must be met in those instances,
such as herein, where certain groups are sought to be severed from
the existing broad production and maintenance unit on the ground
that they possess craft skills or constitute appropriate departmental
groups. Accordingly, we deny the motions to dismiss the petitions
insofar as they are grounded upon the general contentions of the Em-
ployer and the Textile Workers stated above, but shall proceed to the
consideration of whether or not the units sought to be severed herein
meet the standards established in American Potash c Chemical
Corporations
The units requested by the Plumbers, the Electricians, and the IAM
all concern employees in the maintenance department of the Childers-
burg plant. There are 250 maintenance employees classified, respec-
tively, as shift maintenance mechanics, millwrights, welders, pipe-
fitters, truckdrivers, spraymen, filtermen, oilers, machine cleaners,
helpers, electricians, bobbin and pot maintenance repairmen, X-ray
man and pot washer, pot washer, electrical oiler, painters, carpenters,
beam assemblers, power truck operators, laborers, air-conditioning
men, instrument mechanics, and power serviceman. The maintenance
department is under the general supervision of the chief engineer,
while the assistant plant engineer, master mechanic, assistant master
mechanic, and a number of foremen provide more or less direct super-
vision of these groups. During the two shifts which operate between
4 p. m. and 8 a. m., however, the maintenance personnel on duty must
rely, for the most part, on production department supervisors. Dur-
ing the day shift between 8 a. m., and 4 p. m., moreover, maintenance
personnel may be directed, from time to time, by certain of the pro-
duction supervisors including the shift supervisors.
Certain other conditions affect maintenance personnel in general.
As the Employer's production of rayon yarn involves a continuous,
timed cycle of operations, most maintenance is prescheduled and pre-
ventive in nature. Practically all maintenance employees work all or
most of their time in the production areas of the plant and much of
the work involves close contact with production employees. Illustra-
' American Potash & Chemical Corporation, 107 NLRB 1418.
6 107 NLRB 1418.
654 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
tive of this is the "candle filter change," a routine, prescheduled clean-
ing and repair of the spinning machines which is continuously
performed. The candle filter change in the pot spinning department
involves the coordinated efforts of a "team" of spraymen, filtermen,
millwrights, X-ray man, pot washer, pipefitter, electrician, electrician
oiler, mechanical oiler, and welder together with the production spin-
ning employees. The same candle filter change in the continuous spin-
ning unit is composed of a crew of filtermen, millwrights, bobbin
maintenance man, pipefitter, electrician, oiler, welder, machine clean-
ers, painters, helpers, and such spinning personnel as the doffers and
spinners.
The Employer fills most of the specialized maintenance classifica-
tions through transfer and promotion from a "helper pool" rather
than by direct hiring of applicants holding journeyman status in
particular crafts. The record also shows that there are transfers from
production positions to maintenance classifications and in the reverse
direction. The Employer has no apprenticeship program or compa-
rable scheduled progression to a journeyman status and, although class
A, B, and C designations exist for some maintenance classifications,
there is no journeyman or apprentice designation recognized in the
plant. The great majority of employees now in the maintenance de-
partment were, prior to hiring by the Employer, in occupations such
as laborer, textile production worker, farmer, student, retail clerk,
truckdriver, auto mechanic, sawmill worker, and salesman. Em-
ployees receive on-the-job training restricted to the specific duties of
their particular job. Progression to a higher paid designation (such
as to class B from class C pipefitter) is dependent upon the existence
of a vacancy rather than upon the completion of a period of training
or the passage of a specified period of time. Bidding on such vacancies
is governed by the applicant's respective seniority-the only other
requirement being general physical and mental capacity-and the
successful bidder receives a 45-day probationary period at the end
of which, he is either retained in the classification or returned to his old
job. Testimony at the hearing indicated that only once has an enI-
ployee failed to successfully pass this probationary period. Seniority
is measured by length of employment in the plant and in the depart-
ment. All maintenance employees, except for electricians, carpenters,
air-conditioning employees, and laborers are in one department for
seniority purposes.
The unit sought by the Plumbers : The Plumbers request that the
Board find appropriate a unit of all maintenance pipefitters, welders,
instrument mechanics, their helpers, and air-conditioning men.
There are at present 8 employees in the pipefitter classification, of
whom 5 are designated as class A and 3 as class C. One class A pipe-
fitter and one class C pipefitter spend their full time covering pipe
BEAUNIT MILLS, INC. 655
to the exclusion of any pipefitting tasks. Another class C pipefitter
spends his full time coupling connections to freight cars bringing in
chemicals for the plant . The remaining pipefitters spend 80 percent
of their time working throughout the plant doing maintenance work
on process piping, water , and steam lines , tearing down , cleaning, and
reassembling storage tanks , and in repair and maintenance pipework
in the various departments . The major portion of their work is
scheduled according to the demands of the production cycles. A
pipefitter is regularly assigned to the candle filter change "team" pre-
viously described.
The pipefitters are under the supervision of the assistant master
mechanic . A pipeshop is located in a corridor adjacent to the spin-
ning room but none o; the pipefitters spend all or most of their time
in the shop . Like other maintenance employees , the pipefitters, when
working in production areas, are also supervised by production super-
visors. In the absence of the pipefitters , who work only the day shift,
pipework may be done by the shift maintenance mechanic or the mill-
wrights. Applicants bidding for pipefitter positions are required to
have average intelligence and be able , physically, to work with the
necessary tools and equipment . Pipefitter vacancies are filled in the
manner described above applying to all maintenance positions. How-
ever , the record shows that four of the pipefitters have had more than
5 years' experience in that field.
There are 3 employees in the welder classification of whom 2 are
designated class B and 1 class A. - The class A welder welds all types
of metals while class B welders work on steel and iron. They work
most of the time with portable equipment out in the plant although
welding on heavy equipment is done in the pipeshop . The welders do
both pipework and flatwork including work on tanks , and fences and
gates outside the plant and are assigned as a part of the candle filter
change "team " previously referred to. None of the Employer 's weld-
ers has been certified and where insurance policies require work to be
done by a certified welder, the job has been done by outside , contract
labor. The welders are under the general supervision of the assistant
master mechanic but may also be supervised by production supervisors
while working in the plant.
Three employees are classified as instrument mechanics, and
are designated, respectively , as class A , class B, and class C in
that group . The class C instrument mechanic spends 6 hours a day
changing charts on various pressure , temperature , and humidity in-
truments in the plant . He also checks scales and helps the class A
and B men. The class B instrument mechanic does routine mainte-
nance on recorders and controllers operating the charts and makes
necessary changes in the control settings ; the routine maintenance
consisting of the cleaning of components . The class A instrument
656 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
mechanic's duties are the same as those of the class B mechanic except
that he also changes tubes in the two electronic controls located in the
plant. Major repairs on electronic equipment are done by the manu-
facturer of the equipment. In the absence of the instrument me-
chanics, helpers from the maintenance helper pool change the charts.
There are nine employees classified as air-conditioning men. Of
these, one works only during the day while the remainder are as-
signed to rotating shifts. The air-conditioning men are under the
supervision of the air-conditioning supervisor. In the absence of this
supervisor and during 2 of the 3 daily shifts they may be supervised
by production supervisors. The primary duty of the air-condition-
ing men is to patrol the air-conditioning machinery in the plant to
insure that it is operating properly and to maintain a log as to the
results of the patrols. From 50 to 60 percent of the patrol is spent
in walking; 20 percent is spent in making a "sling" temperature and
humidity check; and approximately 12 percent of the time is spent
in making out the log. Air-conditioning men may make minor re-
pairs but major repairs and overhauls are done by the air-conditioning
machinery manufacturer. The Employer testified that air-condition-
ing men are trained on-the-job in a month to 6 weeks and about half
the present air-conditioning men were formerly in production
positions.
In the Board's decision in American Potash, the Board specified
that a "true craft unit consists of a distinct and homogeneous group
of skilled journeymen craftsmen, working as such, together with their
apprentices and/or helpers." Although the Employer does not, as
noted previously, recognize or designate any of its employees as jour-
neymen, and has no ,apprenticeship system, we believe that this record
establishes that the bulk of the Employer's pipefitters possess and ex-
ercise the range of skills and perform the duties of journeymen in that
craft. We find, therefore, that the Employer's pipefitters constitute
a distinct group of craft employees such as have been consistently held
to be entitled to separate representation, if they so desire, despite a
history of bargaining on a broader basis. We find further, in accord
with the requirements set forth in American Potash, that the Plumbers,
as a union which has historically represented separate units of pipe-
fitters, is eligible to request the separate representation of these em-
ployees.
It is also clear from the record, however, that the Employer's instru-
ment mechanics and air-conditioning men do not, apart from other
considerations, exercise the skills of the plumbing and pipefitting craft.
Nor does the record disclose any close association of these classifica-
tions with the pipefitter group or a line of progression from those
classifications to the latter group. We shall, accordingly, not include
BEAUNIT MILLS, INC. 657
the instrument mechanics and air-conditioning men.6 The welders,
whom the Plumbers would also include in their requested unit, are the
only employees in the plant doing welding work as a regularly assigned
part of their duties. Although the welders work with the pipe-
fitters for a considerable portion of their time, one welder is assigned
with other maintenance and production classifications to the candle
filter change "team" and it is clear that the welders do welding with
millwrights and others which is not performed in conjunction with
the pipefitters. Accordingly, we shall exclude the welders from the
pipefitter voting group.?
The Plumbers also request the inclusion of helpers. The Employer
maintains what it terms a "helper pool" consisting of 36 employees
under the general supervision of the master mechanic and under the
direct supervision of production or maintenance supervisors in the
work area of the job to which they are assigned. The Employer con-
tends that the helpers are not regularly assigned to any group but may
be shifted as the need arises. On the other hand, it appears that five
helpers are more or less consistently assigned to work with the pipefit-
ters and welders. Where a helper is regularly assigned to work with
a craft group and where such assignment is a recognized step in the
progression upwards in a craft group, the Board has included such
helpers within the craft group. In the instant case, however, the as-
signment of the helpers is shared by both welders and pipefitters.
Moreover, it is clear that a vacancy in the pipefitter classifications
would be filled by the bidder-from the general helper group or
others-with the highest seniority rather than necessarily by the "pipe-
fitter helper." Accordingly, we shall exclude the helpers from the
pipefitter voting group.8
The unit sought by the Electricians: The Electricians request that
the Board find appropriate a unit of all maintenance electricians, help-
ers, and the electrician oiler. Of the 16 employees classified as elec-
tricians in the Childersburg plant, 4 are designated as class A, 8 as class
A shift electricians, 2 as class B, and 2 as class C. During the day,
shift, the electricians are under the supervision of the chief electrician.
During other shifts and in the absence of the chief electrician, they
may be supervised by production supervisors. There is an enclosed
area in the plant which is known as the electrical shop and which in-
cludes, as equipment, a small engine lathe and a drill press. The
electricians are in a separate group for purposes of departmental
seniority.
6 Cf North American Aviation , Inc., 108 NLRB 863 ; American Tobacco Company, Inc.,
108 NLRB 1211
7 See Western Electric Company, hte, 108 NLRB 396; Intel national Paper Company,
96 NLRB 295 at 297-8.
8 Cf. American Tobacco Company, Inc, supra.
658 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
The duties of the Employer's class A electricians are described as
"major repairs" on electrical equipment, rewiring, running conduits,
pulling wire, and performing preventive maintenance on electrical
equipment. They work only on the day shift and perform their duties
in the shop from portable work benches. Witnesses for the Employer
testified that little or no work is done on "hot" wires or lines, and that
electricians from outside the plant would be used on work involving
the highest voltages. A small amount of work is done by the class A
electricians in the powerhouse area. This repair work was described
as disconnecting burned out motors, resetting overloads on motors, and
changing and cleaning contacts in control panels. During the yearly
maintenance check on the turbogenerators in the powerhouse, an out-
side contractor sends in the skilled technical help and the physical
labor is done by plant employees including 1 or 2 of the class A
electricians.
One class C electrician spends his entire time replacing light bulbs
and fluorescent tubes which have burned out. The other class C elec-
tricians and 1 class B electrician spend their entire time in the main-
tenance of 15 electrical trucks and 2 gasoline driven trucks used within
the plant. Their duties in this regard include greasing, oiling, and
mechanical repairs. The remaining class B electrician is assigned full
time to maintenance of the pot spinning motors. This work consists
of disassembling the motors, replacing worn parts, cleaning, and re-
assembling the motors but does not include rewinding. All rewind-
ing of the Employer's electrical motors is done by contract with an
outside firm. The class A shift electricians patrol the plant checking
to see if motors are hot, take meter readings, and change and recharge
the batteries in the plant lift trucks.
The electrical oiler's duties are confined to oiling the electrical motors
in the pot spinning equipment. In his absence, his duties are per-
formed by the class C electricians. Oiling of other electrical motors
in the plant is done by the oiler classification employees. The record
is not clear as to those helpers who may be assigned from time to time
to assist the electricians. The electrical oiler, but not the helpers, is
included in the separate electrical seniority group. Electrical oilers
have in the past bid successfully for electrician classifications. Ap-
proximately half the employees in electrician classifications had elec-
trical work experience in the past although the Employer does not re-
quire such experience as a prerequisite.
Although there is some question on the entire record, the Board
finds that the Employer's class A electricians perform the duties and
possess the skills of journeymen electricians despite the absence of any
journeyman designation at the Employer's plant and the somewhat
restricted nature of their duties .9 While the shift electricians, the class
9 Cf. Clayton & Lambert Manufacturing Company, 108 NLRB 305.
BEAUNIT MILLS; INC. 659
B and C electricians, and the electrical oiler do not possess or exercise
the skills of journeymen electricians, they, by virtue of their inclusion
in the separate electricians' seniority group, are in the line of progres-
lion to such status.10 Such helpers as may be assigned to the electri-
cians, however, are subject to the same conditions noted in the instance
of the pipefitter helpers and are therefore, we find, not appropriately
included in the voting group. Accordingly, the Board finds that the
Employer's maintenance electricians and the electrical oiler constitute
a distinct group of craft employees such as the Board has traditionally
deemed to be entitled to separate representation if they so desire. We
further find that the Electricians are a union which has historically
represented separate units of maintenance electricians. _
The units sought by the IAM: The IAM requests that the Board
find appropriate separate units of all carpenters and beam assemblers,
all plant automotive truckdrivers, all painters, and all laborers. It is
quite clear from the record that the Employer's plant automotive truck-
drivers and laborers are neither craftsmen nor functionally distinct
and separate departmental groups. Furthermore, without deciding
whether or not the Employer's carpenters and painters are craftsmen
entitled to severance, it is clear that the IAM is not a union which tra-
ditionally represents such crafts and is not, accordingly, qualified to
seek their separate representation herein.h1 We shall therefore dis-
miss the petitions filed by the IAM for the carpenters, the plant truck-
drivers, the painters, and the laborers.
The JAM also requests a separate unit of millwrights, or, in the al-
ternative, a unit of all millwrights, machinists, mechanics, shift main-
tenance mechanics, power servicemen, oilers, and all maintenance help-
ers including spraymen, filtermen, and machine cleaners.
There are 29 employees classified as millwrights at the Childers-
burg plant. Four of the millwrights are assigned to the various shifts
while the remainder work only the day shift. Dependent upon the
area in which they are working, they are supervised by the mechanical
supervisor, the master mechanic, and the air-conditioning supervisor
while the chief engineer exercises overall supervision. While working
in production areas, and on shifts other than the day shift, the mill-
wrights are also under production supervisors. Class A millwrights
perform maintenance work on filter boxes, spinning machines, and
shredder and viscose machines. Ninety percent of their work is con-
cerned with pump repair. Class B millwrights are mainly concerned
with maintenance work on textile machines. Class C millwrights
are assigned to the spinning department on shifts.
While the Employer does not have any employees classified as
"machinists," two of the millwrights work in a shop where they ma-
See North American Aviation, Inc , supra
" See Mills Industrties , Incorporated , 108 NLRB 202
3345 11--55--vol 109---43
660 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
chine shaftings, make bushings, and machine key ways, working to
tolerances of one-half to one-thousandth of an inch. The shop is
equipped with engine lathes, milling machines, shapers, and grinding
machines. With the exception of the two millwrights just referred to,
most of the millwrights spend the majority of their time outside the
shop. Millwrights assigned to shifts work out of the spinning room
while the majority of the other millwrights work out of a cage in the
center of a unit of the spinning process or from mobile work benches.
While employees generally progress from class C to class B to class A
millwright, vacancies are filled by the seniority and bidding system
previously noted. On at least one occasion, a production employee
has bid directly for a class A millwright position and received that
classification.
As noted previously, the Employer does not have any employees in
the classification of machinist. Neither are there employees in the
plant classified only as "mechanics." There are approximately 16
shift maintenance mechanics assigned, as their title implies, to the
various shifts. They are under the supervision of the mechanical
supervisor who is also over the machine cleaners, filtermen, spraymen,
and oilers. The shift maintenance mechanics are assigned to the vari-
ous departments of the plant and spend the great majority of their
time in these departments. While working in these areas, they also
come under the supervision of the production supervisors. The duties
of the shift maintenance mechanics are to generally maintain ma-
chinery and equipment, piping, and leather belts, to pack pumps, do
some carpenter work, clean and unplug sewers, bleed viscose produc-
tion lines, dump defective viscose batches, make adjustments to pro-
duction machinery if necessary, and help production employees to
change accessories on their machines. Heavy or special repairs are
done by millwrights, pipefitters, and others. As is true with other
maintenance classifications, no prior experience is required of shift
maintenance mechanics and they are trained on the job. There are no
separate class A, B, or C designations among the shift maintenance
mechanics. Shift maintenance mechanics are generally hired as main-
tenance helpers and bid for these positions in the procedure heretofore
discussed.
The power serviceman, who is supervised by the master mechanic
and the assistant master mechanic, works for the most part on equip-
ment which has "power connected with it." He spends the greatest
portion of his time in the powerhouse area where he lays refractory
brick in shutdown boilers, refits chemical addition pipes in boilers,
works on valves, fixes gauge glasses, maintains pumps, and opens, in-
spects, and maintains the smaller turbines. He also does maintenance
work on a bulldozer and a coal conveyor. His work in the plant ap-
pears to be confined to checking and repacking steam valves. About
BEAUNIT MILLS, INC. 661
one-fourth of his duties involve "pipe" work and he works in conjunc-
tion with or is assisted by millwrights, pipefitters, helpers, and
laborers.
There are four oilers who perform routine oiling assignments at
scheduled times on routes through the plant under the supervision of
the mechanical supervisor. The latter individual also supervises the
spraymen, filtermen, and machine cleaners . These three classifica-
tions' duties are performed in conjunction with or as a part of the
candle filter change operation and they are also supervised by the spin-
ning shift supervisor of the production department. The two spray-
men remove, wash, clean, and replace the spinning machine sprays..
The six filtermen clean the spinning sections of the spinning ma-
chines by hosing them down with water. The two machine cleaners
clean the lint , dirt, and oil from the textile or twisting section of the
spinning machines with a rag.
As we have previously noted, there are 36 employees classified as
helpers who, collectively, constitute a pool under the general super-
vision of the master mechanic and the direct supervision of main-
tenance and production supervisors on the jobs to which they may be
assigned. One helper is assigned to assist the shift maintenance
mechanics on each shift and other maintenance groups generally have
one or more helpers assigned to them. One helper cleans and issues
hand tools in the machine shop while others work as a part of the
candle filter change. The record shows, however, that with a few ex-
ceptions the helpers may be and are shifted from one assigned to an-
other as needed and work with all classifications in the maintenance
department. By virtue of the job bidding system in force at the plant,
helpers may and do bid successfully for vacancies in the maintenance
classifications named in the IAM unit request. The bidding, however,
is dependent upon seniority rather than past assignment as a helper to
the classification sought in the bid.
As previously stated, the IAM requests a unit of millwrights and/or
a unit of millwrights and the classifications just discussed. Of these
employees, it is apparent from the record that the oilers, spraymen,
filtermen, machine cleaners, and helpers are neither craftsmen nor
skilled employees. The power serviceman appears to possess skills
of various crafts, but neither works exclusively or predominately with
the employees sought in the IAM petitions or shares any close relation-
ship with them. The Employer does not have any employees classi-
fied, as specified in the unit request, as either "machinist" or
"mechanic."
In accord with its uniform practice, the Employer does not require
prior experience or recognize either journeyman or apprentice status
for its millwrights and shift maintenance mechanics. The Employer
and the Textile Workers contend strongly that the work of these in-
662 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
dividuals, in fact, is almost exclusively routine maintenance involving
the performace of specialized tasks rather than the exercise of any
craft skills. The record shows that of the employees classified as
millwrights, only about one-third had previous experience in that
field; the job backgrounds of the others include positions as textile
production employee, farmer, truckdriver, weather insulating man,
carpenter, pipefitter, welder, service station operator, and auto and air-
craft mechanics. The same situation is true with respect to the shift
maintenance mechanics. While the Employer's machine shop is
equipped with the machines noted, only 2-employees in the classifica-
tions sought do machinists work involving close tolerances and only 1
other millwright uses the lathe, the shaper, and the milling machine,
respectively. The evidence shows clearly that the millwrights and
the shift maintenance mechanics do predominantly routine mainte-
nance work of a specialized rather than highly skilled nature. Illus-
trative of this is the fact that the class A millwrights spend 90 percent
of their time on pump repairs and that a large number of the mill-
wrights are regularly assigned to the candle filter change where they
work with other production and maintenance employees in a routine,
scheduled, and repetitive maintenance operation. The shift main-
tenance mechanics do an appreciable amount of work in obviously
noncraft work such as cleaning sewers and dumping defective viscose
batches.
Accordingly, on the entire record, we find that the employees in the
millwright units sought by the JAM are not, in either instance, a
"distinct and homogeneous group of skilled journeymen craftsmen,
working as such" who are entitled to severance as a craft group from
an established production and maintenance unit 12 It is further clear
that the groups sought by the IAM are only segments of the Em-
ployer's maintenance department and do not in any way comprise a
departmental group which has "by tradition and practice acquired
craft like characteristics." While the Board, on that basis, has pre-
viously granted severance to units of "machine shop" employees, the
great majority of the Employer's millwrights as well as the remainder
of the other classifications sought, neither work in the machine shop
nor possess the skills present in those cases where we have permitted
such severance. We shall, therefore, dismiss the petitions of the IAM
for units of millwrights or millwrights, shift maintenance mechanics,
power serviceman, oilers, filtermen, spraymen, machine cleaners, and
maintenance helpers.
The Chemical Workers units: The Chemical Workers seek the
severance of two units which it contends to be appropriate as separate
12 See American Potash & Chemical Corporation, 107 NLRB 1418, K I DuPont de
Alemours and Company, 107 NLRB 1504, Sawyer Biscuit Company, 108 NLRB 1124,
and F. L. Jacobs Company, Danville Division , 108 NLRB 544
BEAUNIT MILLS, INC. 663
bargaining groups. The first of these units would consist of all em-
ployees in the laboratory department including production and con-
trol technicians, textile testers, day chemists, shift chemists, denier con-
trol technicians, and the washboy. The second proposed unit would
include all employees in the viscose, bleach, and spinning depart-
ments. In the alternative, the Chemical Workers requests a single
unit composed of employees in both the proposed groups. The Chemi-
cal Workers finally stated at the hearing that it wished to appear on
the ballot for any election directed by the Board in a unit of "a homo-
geneous group of chemical workers as distinguished from textile
workers."
The Childetsburg plant includes a laboratory whose general func-
tions are the control of production cycles and the quality of finished
product. The laboratory is subdivided into a chemical laboratory
and a textile laboratory, both of which are under the supervision of the
chief chemist and his two assistants. There are 30 hourly paid labora-
tory employees.
Classifications in the textile laboratory consist of 8 production and
control technicians, 5 textile testers, and 1 day chemist. The pro-
duction and control technician's duties require only a week to learn
and consist of routine tests and tasks including checking dry can tem-
peratures and yarn tension, and collecting and labeling samples for the
textile department. These employees are on shift duty and receive
considerable supervision from production supervisors. Only an
ability to read, write, and count are deemed prerequisites for the posi-
tion. The production and control technician spends 75 percent of his
time in the spinning departments and production and control techni-
cians have been used as doffers, a production job, in some instances.
The textile testers test yarn for denier, strength, elongation, twist, knot
loss, heat stability, fatigue, shrinkage, cord strength, and cord elon-
gation. The tests are performed in the textile laboratory on samples
brought by the production and control technician. These tests are
routine in nature and the duties of the textile tester can be learned
in 3 weeks. The day chemist in the textile laboratory checks the
corrected deniers, moisture in the yarn, ash, degree of acidity in the
yarn, and finish content. This work is done in both the textile and
chemical laboratories. The day chemists do not make titrations,
handle standard solutions, and do not interpret the results of the tests
that they perform. The work requires approximately 3 weeks to learn
and the present incumbent of the position was formerly a production
department employee.
The work classifications in the chemical laboratory consist of 1 wash-
boy, 4 assistant shift chemists, 4 shift chemists, 2 denier control tech-
nicians, and 5 chemists. The one washboy collects routine specified
samples, washes equipment, unpacks and stores equipment, cleans the
664 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL. LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
work areas, and supplies sample bottles to the production department.
His duties require only 3 or 4 days to learn and he is at the same pay
scale as helpers in the maintenance department. The assistant shift
chemist collects viscose samples from the spinning machines and tests
those samples for maturity and viscosity. He also checks the dialyzer
flow and collects various samples for the shift chemist. Approxi-
mately 65 percent of his time is spent in the collection of such samples
while about 30 percent is spent in making the routine, scheduled tests
for maturity and viscosity. The assistant shift chemist is trained in
a period of 2 weeks. The shift chemist makes hourly tests on spin
baths, checks the steeping caustic, bleach solutions, and spinning aid
concentrations once a shift, and makes hourly corrections to the spin-
ning bath recovery and chemical addition operators. He spends 80
percent of his time in the chemical laboratory and 10 percent in the
spinning department and acid recovery. About 6 to 8 weeks are re-
quired for a new employee to learn the job but a major portion of this
time would be spent in merely learning the layout of the plant rather
than the actual duties of the position. The shift chemist is higher
paid than maintenance helpers but receives a lower rate than the class
C pipefitter or millwright.
The denier control technician in the chemical laboratory checks the
speeds of pump shafts, godet wheels, tension rollers, dry cans, and
spindles, checks the temperature on the spinning machines, viscose
pump delivery, deniers, and checks for viscose leaks on the spinning
machine. The speeds and temperatures checked are recorded and re-
ported to the laboratory, the production supervisor and shift mechanic.
The denier control technician spends 60 percent of his time in the spin-
ning department and 10 percent in the chemical laboratory. Ap-
proximately 3 weeks are required to train an employee without
previous experience in the plant for this position. While two of the
present occupants of this position have had some college work, in
neither case was their college training in subjects related to chemistry
or engineering. The pay of denier control technicians is lower than
that of class B millwrights.
The day chemists check the finish bath composition, alkalicellulose,
moisture on the pulp, caustic and acid strength, iron tests on numerous
phases of production, dissolver solutions, test viscose filtrations, run
sieve tests, check the flow on spinning aids and concentrated finish
pumps, make up stock solutions, run ash tests on the finish, check
equipment and chemical supplies, and inspect and weigh spinnerettes.
A day chemist spends 80 percent of his time in the chemical laboratory
and about 10 percent in the plant. Approximately 6 weeks would be
required for a denier control technician to learn the job of day
chemist. Day chemists in both the chemical laboratory and the textile
laboratory are on the same pay level.
BEAUNIT MILLS, INC. 665
While the laboratory employees are under the supervision of the
chief chemist and his two assistants, they are also frequently respon-
sible to production and maintenance supervision. As noted, none of
the laboratory positions requires more than a short period of on-the-
job training and the record indicates that a'sizeable number of the
laboratory employees transferred to those positions from production
jobs. The tests run by the laboratory employees are routine, scheduled,
repetitive tests requiring little or no interpretation or exercise of dis-
cretion. The same checks are, on occasion, made by production em-
ployees. Microscopic tests are only performed by the professional
textile graduate, assistant chief chemist, or the chief chemist. While
the Employer prefers that laboratory personnel have a high school
education, the record indicates that no flat requirement of even that
limited nature is made. The work of the laboratory employees, be-
cause of the Employer's production operations wherein chemical and
physical changes are carefully controlled and a part of the production
process itself, is highly integrated with the work of the production
and maintenance employees and the laboratory personnel, in numer-
ous instances, spend all but a small portion of their time in the plant
rather than in the laboratory. The laboratory employees are in fre-
quent contact with the production and maintenance workers and share
the same general working conditions, benefits, and interests.
On the entire record, accordingly, we find that the laboratory em-
ployees whose separate representation is requested by the Chemical
Workers are not "technical" employees such as we have found, in other
instances, to be appropriately separated from production and main-
tenance employees for the purposes of collective bargaining.13 Nor
do we find that the viscose, bleach, and spinning departments employees
constitute an appropriate grouping, either with or without the inclusion
of the laboratory personnel. The record is clear that the viscose,
bleach, and spinning departments of the Childersburg plant are only
a segment of the production department itself. Although the Chem-
ical Workers appears to contend that these employees constitute
"chemical" workers rather than "textile" workers, no such distinction
appears in the facts elicited at the hearing and these departments are,
it is clear, intimately connected with the remaining production facil-
ities without special or separate working conditions or other factors.
No contention has been made, nor do we find evidence supporting such
an assertion, that the employees in these departments are craftsmen.
As a "departmental" group it is patent that the group does not meet
the requirements established by the Board in American Potash for
severance of such units.14 Accordingly, we shall dismiss the petition
18 See Arnold Hoffman & Co., Incorporated, 95 NLRB 907 at 909-910; Wells Dairies
Cooperative, 107 NLRB 1445
14 See American Potash & Chemical Corporation , supra; Golden Belt Manufacturing Com-
pany , 108 NLRB 164.
666 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
filed by the Chemical Workers for a unit or units of viscose, bleach,
spinning, and laboratory employees.
We shall at this time direct elections in the following voting groups :
(1) All maintenance pipefitters, excluding all other employees and
all supervisors as defined in the amended Act.
(2) All maintenance electricians, including the electrician oiler, but
excluding all other employees and all supervisors as defined in the
amended Act.
If a majority of those employees in voting group (1) vote for Local
Union No. 91, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of
the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and
Canada, AFL, or if a majority of those. employees in voting group
(2) vote for Local Union No. 1629, International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers, AFL, they will be taken, in either case, to have
indicated their desire to constitute a separate appropriate unit and
the Regional Director conducting the elections directed herein is in-
structed to issue a certification of representatives to the labor organiza-
tion seeking and selected by the employees in each group for such
unit, which the Board, in such circumstances, finds to be appropriate
for the purposes of collective bargaining. In the event a majority
in either or both voting groups vote for United Textile Workers of
America, AFL, the Board finds their inclusion in the existing plant-
wide unit to be appropriate and the Regional Director will issue a cer-
tification of results of election to such effect.
[The Board dismissed the petitions filed in Cases Nos. 10-RC-2493,
10-RC-2494, 1O-RC-2495, 10-RC-2496, 10-RC-2506, and 10-RC-2507
by Local 985, International Association of Machinists, AFL, and the
petition filed in Case No. 10-RC-2527 by International Chemical
Workers Union, AFL.]
[Text of Direction of Elections omitted from publication.]
MEMBER PETERSON took no part in the consideration of the above
Decision, Order, and Direction of Elections.
CLARKE MILLS and TEXTILE WORKERS UNION OFD AMERICA , CIO. Case
No. 15-CA-490. August 3,195!
Decision and Order
On September 4, 1953, Trial Examiner Arthur E. Reyman issued
his Intermediate Report in the above-entitled proceeding, finding
that the Respondent had not engaged in the unfair labor practices al-
109 NLRB No. 103.