Wright Line

National Labor Relations Board - Board Decisions

Aug 27, 1980

251 N.L.R.B. 1083 (N.L.R.B. 1980)

WRIGHT LINE 1083
Wright Line, a Division of Wright Line, Inc. and
Bernard R. Lamoureux. Case I-CA-14004
August 27, 1980
DECISION AND ORDER
On October 27, 1978, Administrative Law Judge
Lowell Goerlich issued the attached Decision in
this proceeding. Thereafter, Respondent filed ex-
ceptions and a supporting brief and counsel for the
General Counsel filed a brief in support of the Ad-
ministrative Law Judge's Decision.
The Board has considered the record and the at-
tached Decision in light of the exceptions and
briefs and has decided to affirm the rulings,' find-
ings, and conclusions of the Administrative Law
Judge and to adopt his recommended Order, as
modified herein. 2
Respondent excepted, inter alia, to the Adminis-
trative Law Judge's conclusion that it violated Sec-
tion 8(a)(3) and (1) of the Act when, on December
30, 1977, it discharged Bernard Lamoureux. We
agree with the result reached by the Administrative
Law Judge, but only for the reasons that follow.
In resolving cases involving alleged violations of
Section 8(a)(3) and, in certain instances, Section
8(a)(1), it must be determined, inter alia, whether
an employee's employment conditions were ad-
versely affected by his or her engaging in union or
other protected activities and, if so, whether the
employer's action was motivated by such employee
activities. As discussed infra, various "tests" have
been employed by the Board and the courts to aid
in making such determinations. These tests all ex-
amine the concept of "causality," that is, the rela-
tionship between the employees' protected activi-
ties and actions on the part of their employer
which detrimentally affect their employment.
i Respondent contends that the Administrative Law Judge's credibility
resolutions, findings of fact, and conclusions of law stem from bias or
hostility We find no merit in this contention There is no basis for find-
ing that bias or partiality existed merely because the Administrative Law
Judge resolved inportant factual conflicts in favor of the General Coun-
sel's witnesses As the Supreme Court stated in N L. R B. v Pittsburgh
Steamship Company, 337 U.S. 656, 659 (1949), "IT]otal rejection of an op-
posed view cannot of itself impugn the integrity or competence of a trier
of fact." Moreover, it is the Board's established policy not to overrule an
administrative law judge's resolutions with respect to credibility unless
the clear preponderance (of all of the relevant evidence convinces us that
the resolutions are incorrect Standard Dry Wall Products. Inc.. 91 NLRH
544 (1950), enfd. 188 F2d 362 (3d Cir. 1951). We have carefully exam-
ined the record and find no basis for reversing his findings
2 Respondent has excepted to the Administrative Law Judge's recom-
mended broad cease-and-desist order. In our recent decision in Hickmor
Foods. Inc.. 242 NLRB 1357 1979). we held that such broad injunctive
language is warranted only when a respondent has been shown to have a
proclivity to violate the Act, or has engaged in such egregious or wide-
spread misconduct as to demonstrate a general disregard for the employ-
ees' fundamental slatutory rights Inasmuch as the instant violations do
not meet this test. we shall modify the Administrative Law Judge's Order
to require Respondent to refrain from iolating the Act in an) like or
related manner.
251 NLRB No. 150
The Administrative Law Judge's Decision in the
instant case reveals some uncertainty regarding the
appropriate mode of analysis for examining causal-
ity in cases alleging unlawful discrimination.
Indeed, similar doubts as to the applicable test
appear to have become widespread at various
levels of the decisional process primarily as a result
of conflict in this area among the courts of appeals
and between certain courts of appeals and the
Board.
After careful consideration we find it both help-
ful and appropriate to set forth formally a test of
causation for cases alleging violations of Section
8(a)(3) of the Act. We shall examine causality in
such cases through an analysis akin to that used by
the Supreme Court in Mr. Healthy City School Dis-
trict Board of Education v. Doyle, 429 U.S. 274
(1977).
It is our belief that application of the Mt. Healthy
test 3 will maintain a substantive consistency with
existing Board precedent and accommodate the
concerns expressed by critics of the Board's past
treatment of cases alleging unlawful discrimination.
We further find the Mt. Healthy test to be in har-
mony with the Act's legislative history as well as
pertinent Supreme Court decisions. Finally, in this
regard, enunciation of the Mt. Healthy test will al-
leviate the confusion which now exists at various
levels of the decisional process and do so in a
manner that, we conclude, accords proper weight
to the legitimate conflicting interest in this area,
thereby advancing the fundamental objectives of
the Act.
I. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN PRETEXT AND
DUAL MOTIVE
It is helpful, initially, to distinguish between
what are termed "pretext" cases and "dual motive"
cases because it is in the dual motive situation
where the legitimate interests of the parties most
plainly conflict. Consequently it is in such situa-
tions that the existing controversy and confusion in
this area are highlighted. 4
In modern day labor relations, an employer will
rarely, if ever, baldly assert that it has disciplined
an employee because it detests unions or will not
tolerate employees engaging in union or other pro-
tected activities. Instead, it will generally advance
3 For ease of reference, we shall refer to this tesl of cauahl a the
MUr. Healthv lest We note, however, that M. Healihv itself does not co.,n-
stitute a construction of the National Labor Relations Act and, accord-
ingly, our Decision here is not compelled by MI Healthv We do not
view M;l Healthv as at odds with our previous constructioln f the Act
As is demonstrated herein, under the 3i Healthy tes, there is no real
need to distinguish between pretext and dual motive cases The disltinc
-
tion is nonetheless useful in setting forih he conlroisers surrounding
dual moti'e cases
Wright Line, a Division of Wright Line, Inc. and
WRIGHT LINE 5
1084 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
what it asserts to be a legitimate business reason for
its action. Examination of the evidence may reveal,
however, that the asserted justification is a sham in
that the purported rule or circumstance advanced
by the employer did not exist, or was not, in fact,
relied upon. When this occurs, the reason advanced
by the employer may be termed pretextual. Since
no legitimate business justification for the discipline
exists, there is, by strict definition, no dual motive.
The pure dual motive case presents a different
situation. In such cases, the discipline decision in-
volves two factors. The first is a legitimate business
reason. The second reason, however, is not a legiti-
mate business reason but is instead the employer's
reaction to its employees' engaging in union or
other protected activities. This latter motive, of
course, runs afoul of Section 8(a)(3) of the Act.
This existence of both a "good" and a "bad"
reason for the employer's action requires further in-
quiry into the role played by each motive and has
spawned substantial controversy in 8(a)(3) litiga-
tion. 5
II. THE "IN PART" TEST
For a number of years now, when determining
whether the Act has been violated in a dual moti-
vation case, the Board has applied what is termed
the "in part" causation test. In its present form the
"in part" test provides that if a discharge is moti-
vated, "in part," by the protected activities of the
employee the discharge violates the Act even if a
legitimate business reason was also relied on. The
Youngstown Osteopathic Hospital Association, 224
NLRB 574, 575 (1976). This "in part" analysis has
taken various forms with the "in part" language
being modified while the underlying concept re-
mains intact. Thus, the Board has used the follow-
ing terms in dual motivation cases: "the motivating
or moving cause," The Bankers Warehouse Compa-
ny, 146 NLRB 1197, 1200 (1964); "the motivating
factor," Tursair Fueling, Inc., 151 NLRB 270, 271,
fn. 2 (1965); "the substantial, contributing factor,"
Erie Sand Steamship Company, 189 NLRB 63, fn. 1
(1971); "motivated principally," P.P.G. Industries,
Inc., 229 NLRB 713 (1977); "a substantial cause,"
s Unfortunately, the distinction between a pretext case and a dual
motive case is sometimes difficult to discern. This is especially true since
the appropriate designation seldom can be made until after the presenta-
tion of all relevant evidence The conceptual problems to which this
sometimes blurred distinction gives rise can be eliminated if one views
the employer's asserted justification as an affirmative defense. Thus, in a
pretext situation, the employer's affirmative defense of business justifica-
tion is wholly without merit If, however, the affirmative defense has at
least some merit a "dual motive" may exist and the issue becomes one of
the sufficiency of proof necessary for the employer's affirmative defense
to be sustained Treating the employer's plea of a legitimate business
reason for discipline as an affirmative defense is consistent with the
Board's method of deciding such cases. See Bedford Cut Stone Co.. Inc.,
235 NLRBH 629 1978).
Broyhill Company, 210 NLRB 288, 296 (1974); "a
substantial or motivating ground," KBM Electron-
ics, Inc., t/a Carsounds, 218 NLRB 1352, 1358
(1975); "in substantial part," Central Casket Co.,
225 NLRB 362 (1976).
Since its inception, the "in part" test has been
perceived by some to be, at least conceptually, at
odds with the oft-repeated idea that:
Management can discharge for good cause, or
bad cause, or no cause at all. It has, as the
master of its own business affairs, complete
freedom with but one specific, definite qualifi-
cation: it may not discharge when the real mo-
tivating purpose is to do that which Section
8(a)(3) forbids. [N.L.R.B. v. MaGahey, 233
F.2d 406, 413 (5th Cir. 1956). See also Klate
Holt Co., 161 NLRB 1606, 1612 (1966). Com-
pare Shattuck Denn Mining Corporation v.
N.L.R.B., 362 F.2d 466 (9th Cir. 1966).]
A conflict between this concept and the "in part"
rationale is seen because, in a dual motivation case,
the employer does have a legitimate reason for its
action. Yet, an improper reason for discharge is
also present. Thus, the employer's recognized right
to enforce rules of its own choosing is viewed as
being in practical conflict with the employees'
right to be free from adverse effects brought about
by their participation in protected activities. Critics
of the "in part" test have asserted that rather than
seeking to resolve this conflict and accommodate
the legitimate competing interests, the analysis goes
only half way, in that once hostility to protected
rights is found, the inquiry ends and the employer's
plea of legitimate justification is ignored.
III. THE ADVENT OF THE "DOMINANT MOTIVE"
TEST AND THE LAW OF THE CIRCUITS
In recent years, various courts of appeals have
become increasingly critical of the "in part" analy-
sis. The earliest, most outspoken critic of the "in
part" test has been the First Circuit, which in
N.L.R.B. v. Billen Shoe Co., Inc., 297 F.2d 801 (Ist
Cir. 1968), examined the Board's application of the
"in part" analysis and found it lacking.6 Fundamen-
tal to its rejection of the "in part" test is the court's
view that the test ignores the legitimate business
motive of the employer and places the union activ-
ist in an almost impregnable position once union
animus has been established.
6 Actually, as early as 1953, in .L.R.B v. Whilon Machine Works. 204
F.2d 883, 885 (Ist Cir. 1953), that circuit court expressed disagreement
with Board analysis in 8a)(3) cases. Yet, it was not until 1963 that Judge
Aldrich of the First Circuit formally initiated the "dominant motive" or
"but for" test. See XL RB. v. Lowell Sun Publishing Co., 320 F.2d 835.
842 (Ist Cir 1963)
\VRIGt1 I.INE 101 5
In an effort to remedy what it viewed as the in-
equities of the test, the First Circuit began to ad-
vance its own process of analysis in dual motiva-
tion cases. Thus, in Billen Shoe. supra, the First Cir-
cuit stated that:
When good cause for criticism or discharge
appears, the burden which is on the Board is
not simply to discover some evidence of im-
proper motive, but to find an affirmative and
persuasive reason why the employer rejected
the good cause and chose a bad one. The mere
existence of anti-union animus is not enough.
[397 F.2d at 803.]
In other opinions, the First Circuit has termed its
test a "dominant motive" (see fn. 6, supra) or a
"but for" test. Coletti's Furniture, Inc. v. N.L.R.B.,
505 F.2d 1293 (lst Cir. 1977). For our purposes,
this test will be referred to as the "dominant
motive" test, which, in its most simple form pro-
vides that when both a "good" and "bad" reason
for discharge exist, the burden is upon the General
Counsel to establish that, in the absence of protect-
ed activities, the discharge would not have taken
place. Coletti's Furniture, supra at 1293, 1294;
N.L.R.B. v. Fibers International Corporation, 439
F.2d 1311, 1312, fn. 1 (st Cir. 1971).
Conflict between the Board and the First Circuit
in this area has escalated to the point where in Co-
letti's Furniture, supra at 1293, the court stated that
"[T]here can be little reason for us to rescue the
Board hereafter if it does not both articulate and
apply our rule." In addition, the conflict over
which test to apply in dual motive cases has now
spread throughout the circuit courts to the extent
that a review of the tests currently applied by the
Board, our Administrative Law Judges, and the
various courts of appeals reveals a picture of con-
fusion and inconsistency.7
Thus, the District of Columbia Circuit, in Allen
v. N.L.R.B., 561 F.2d 976, 982 (D.C. Cir. 1977),
applied an "in part" test, stating that:
[T]he cases are legion that the existence of a
justifiable ground for discharge will not pre-
vent such discharge from being an unfair labor
practice if partially motivated by the employ-
ee's protected activity .... 8
7 Although it is responsible for the advent of he "dominant motise"
test, hich now is found in various forms in the circuits. the First Cir-
cuit, in its recent decision in N I.R.B. I. Eastern Smelting and Rining
Corporation 598 F 2d 660 (lst Cir 197), appears to have mosed aas
from the "dominant motise" test as earlier expressed In Eastern Snelting,
the First Circuit articulated and applied for the first time the tr. Healthy
test set forth in this opinion In Eavtern Smelting, ho evSer the First Cir-
cuit did not explicitly abandon its "dominanl mve" test. nor did it
ahate its criticism of the in part" test
' An "in part" test has also been applied h) the Sixth. Se.enth aind
Tetnh Circuits See L R B. Retail Store Emnplories Uiln l 876.
Several months later, another panel applied the
"dominant motive" test as propounded by the First
Circuit in Billen Shoe. supra, holding that:
The burden on the Board is not simply to dis-
cover some evidence of improper motic, but
to find an affirmative and persuasive reason
why the employer rejected the good cause and
chose an illegal one. [idwewst Regional Joint
Board, Amalgamated Clothing Workers of
America, AFL-CIO v .N:L.R.B., 564 F.2d 434.
440 (D.C. Cir. 1977).] '
Similarly, the Ninth Circuit has applied both a
"dominant motive" and an "in part" test.' 0 Then.
in Polynesian Cultural Center v. N. L.R.B.. 582 F.2d
467, 473 (9th Cir. 1978), that court noted that:
Several of our cases have said that the discrinim-
inatory motive must be the moving cause for
the discharge. . . . On the other hand. this
court has indicated that it too, on occasion.
employs the but-for approach.
Tests which have been applied by other circuit
courts fit neatly into neither the "in part" nor
"dominant motive" category. For example, in
Waterbury Community Antenna. Inc. v. .V.L.R.B.,
587 F.2d 90, 98 (2d Cir. 1978), the Second Circuit
stated its test as follows:
The rule of causation applied in this Circuit is
that "the General Counsel must at least pro-
vide a reasonable basis for inferring that the
permissible ground alone would not have led
to the discharge, so that it was partially moti-
vated by an impermissible one." . . . The mag-
nitude of the impermissible ground is immate-
rial . . . as long as it was the "but for" cause
of the discharge ....
The Third Circuit stated in Edgewood Nursing
Center, Inc. v. NV.L.R.B., 581 F.2d 363, 368 (3d Cir.
1978), that:
[T]he employer violates the Act if anti-union
animus was the "real motive" .... If two or
more motives are behind a discharge, the
action is an unfair labor practice if it is partly
motivated by reaction to the employee's pro-
tected activity.... On the other hand, if the
employee would have been fired for cause ir-
Retail Clerki International. 4s,caulton. .IL-(IO. 57(1 F 2d 56X. 5) (hlh
Cir 1978). cert. denied 439 US. 819; .LR.R.R (;ogin, d h Gogin
Trucking. 575 F 2d 596, h01 (7th Cir 1978): M S P Induotrit,i. Inc. d h,
a he Larirner Press v. .L RB., 568 F.2d Ihh0, 173-174 (10th Cir 197)
" This "dominant motlxs" test has also been applied bh the Fourth Clr.
cuit See Eitreton tire anud Rhhr (Corpany l N I R B. 50 2d 1335.
1337 (4th Cir 176)
io Compare ''stiri Eterimnat,,r ... mpanv x V .HR. h5 2d
1114, 118 I ( 9th Cir 1977) i nth A raquils I illla ( 'V I. R . 565
F 2d 174, 1I'2 8 (h Cir 1977)
\VRIGII1 lANE losS
1(i6 DECISIONS ()F NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BO()ARD
respective of the employer's attitude toward
the union, the real reason for the discharge is
nondiscriminatory. .. . Thus, if the employer
puts forward a justifiable cause for discharge
of the employee, the Board must find that the
reason was a pretext, and that anti-union senti-
ment played a part in the decision to terminate
the employee's job.
The Fifth Circuit, in N.L.R.B. v. Aero Corporation,
581 F.2d 511, 514-515 (5th Cir. 1978), ruled that:
[T]he Board is not required to establish sub-
stantial evidence that the conduct is motivated
solely by anti-union animus. It is sufficient if
substantial evidence shows that the force of
anti-union purpose was "reasonably equal" to
the lawful motive prompting conduct.
Finally, the Eighth Circuit has held that:
[T]he mere existence of valid grounds for a
discharge is no defense to a charge that the
discharge was unlawful, unless the discharge
was predicated solely on those grounds, and
not by a desire to discourage union activity.
[Singer Company v. N.L.R.B., 429 F.2d 172,
179 (8th Cir. 1970).]
We note that our citation of the foregoing cases
is intended neither to explain nor vindicate the po-
sition expressed by any particular circuit court.
Rather, it is intended to demonstrate that in an area
fundamental to the Act, namely, Section 8(a)(3),
disagreement and controversy are rampant among
the various decisionmaking bodies.
IV. THE M. HEAI.THY TEST
As the preceding two sections have demonstrat-
ed, the issue of what causation test is to be used to
determine whether the Act has been violated in
dual motivation cases is now in a position where
some view the "in part" test as standing at one ex-
treme, while the other extreme is represented by
the "dominant motive" test first advanced by the
First Circuit. Despite this perceived polarization,
room for accommodation and clarification does
exist in the test of causality set forth in the recent
Supreme Court decision of Mt. Healthy City School
District Board of Education v. Doyle, 429 U.S. 274.
The Mt. Healthy case arose when Doyle, an un-
tenured teacher, brought suit against the Mt.
Healthy School Board, alleging that it had wrong-
fully refused to renew his contract. The school
board presented Doyle with written reasons for
their refusal. The two reasons cited were: (1)
Doyle's use of obscene language and gestures in
the school cafeteria, and (2) Doyle's conveyance of
a change in the school's policies to a local radio
station. In his suit, Doyle alleged that the refusal to
renew his contract violated his rights under the
first and fourteenth amendments. He sought rein-
statement and backpay.
The district court found that of the two reasons
cited by the school board, one involved unprotect-
ed conduct while the second was clearly protected
by the first and fourteenth amendments. The dis-
trict court reasoned that since protected activity
had played a substantial part in the school board's
decision, its refusal to renew the contract was im-
proper and Doyle was, therefore, entitled to rein-
statement and backpay. The court of appeals af-
firmed, per curiam.
The Supreme Court reversed. In a unanimous
opinion, the Court rejected the lower court's appli-
cation of such a limited "in part" test and ruled
that the school board must be given an opportunity
to establish that its decision not to renew would
have been the same if the protected activity had
not occurred. The Court reasoned as follows:
A rule of causation which focuses solely on
whether protected conduct played a part,
"substantial" or otherwise, in a decision not to
rehire, could place an employee in a better po-
sition as a result of the exercise of constitution-
ally protected conduct than he would have oc-
cupied had he done nothing. The difficulty
with the rule enunicated by the District Court
is that it would require reinstatement in cases
where a dramatic and perhaps abrasive inci-
dent is inevitably on the minds of those re-
sponsible for the decision to rehire, and does
indeed play a part in that decision-even if the
same decision would have been reached had
the incident not occurred. The constitutional
principle at stake is sufficiently vindicated if
such an employee is placed in no worse a posi-
tion than if he had not engaged in the conduct.
A borderline or marginal candidate should not
have the employment question resolved against
him because of constitutionally protected con-
duct. But that same candidate ought not to be
able, by engaging in such conduct, to prevent
his employer from assessing his performance
record and reaching a decision not to rehire
on the basis of that record, simply because the
protected conduct makes the employer more
certain of the correctness of its decisions. [429
U.S. at 285-286.]
From this rationale, the Court fashioned the fol-
lowing test to be applied on remand:
Initially, in this case, the burden was proper-
ly placed upon respondent [employee] to show
WRIOGHT LINE 1087
that his conduct was constitutionally protect-
ed, and that this conduct was a "substantial
factor"-or, to put it in other words, that it
was a "motivating factor" in the [School]
Board's decision not to rehire him. Respondent
having carried that burden, however, the Dis-
trict Court should have gone on to determine
whether the Board had shown by a preponder-
ance of the evidence that it would have
reached the same decision as to respondent's
reemployment even in the absence of the pro-
tected conduct. [429 U.S. at 287.]
Thus, the Court established a two-part test to be
applied in a dual motivation context. Initially, the
employee must establish that the protected conduct
was a "substantial" or "motivating" factor. Once
this is accomplished, the burden shifts to the em-
ployer to demonstrate that it would have reached
the same decision absent the protected conduct.
This test in Mt. Healthy is further explicated by
the Court in Village of Arlington Heights v. Metro-
politan Housing Development Corp., 429 U.S. 252
(1977), a case decided the same day as Mt. Healthy.
A brief discussion of Arlington Heights is helpful in
examining the parameters of the Mt. Healthy test.
Arlington Heights involved an effort by a real
estate developer to obtain a zoning change enabling
it to construct a housing development. During the
zoning hearing, it became apparent that the new
development would be racially integrated. The Vil-
lage ultimately denied the rezoning and, in re-
sponse, a group brought suit seeking injunctive and
declaratory relief alleging that the decision was ra-
cially motivated. The Supreme Court ruled that
plaintiffs had "failed to carry their burden of prov-
ing that discriminatory purpose was a motivating
factor in the Village's decision." (429 U.S. at 270.)
In reaching its decision, the Court invoked the
Mt. Healthy test. Thus, the Court, citing Mt.
Healthy, stated that:
Proof that the decision by the Village was
motivated in part by a racially discriminatory
purpose would not necessarily have required
invalidation of the challenged decision. Such
proof would, however, have shifted to the Vil-
lage the burden of establishing that the same
decision would have resulted even had the im-
permissible purpose not been considered. [429
U.S. at 270-271, fn. 21.]
The Arlington Heights decision is instructive in
one other respect as well. For in its decision, the
Court recognized that efforts to determine what is
the "dominant" or "primary" motive in a mixed
motivation situation are usually unavailing. In this
regard, the Court stated that a plaintiff is not re-
quired
to prove that the challenged action rested
solely on racially discriminatory purposes.
Rarely can it be said that a legislature or ad-
ministrative body operating under a broad
mandate made a decision motivated solely by a
single concern, or even that a particular pur-
pose was the "dominant" or "primary" one.
[429 U.S. at 265.]
Assuming for the moment that the Mt. Healthy
test is applicable to dual motive discharges under
Section 8(a)(3), it is evident that Mt. Healthy repre-
sents a rejection of an "in part" test which stops
with the establishment of a prima facie case or at
consideration of an improper motive. Indeed, rejec-
tion of such an "in part" test is implicit in the Su-
preme Court's reversal of the district court's appli-
cation of such an analysis.
The "dominant motive" test fares no better
under Mt. Healthy. While a surface similarity be-
tween Mt. Healthy and the "dominant motive" test
exists in that both reject a limited "in part" analysis
and both require proof of how the employer would
have acted in the absence of the protected activity,
the similarity ends there. For the Mt. Healthy test
and the "dominant motive" test place the burden
for this proof on different parties.
As has been noted, under the "dominant motive"
test it is the General Counsel who, in addition to
establishing a prima facie showing of unlawful
motive, is further required to rebut the employer's
asserted defense by demonstrating that the dis-
charge would not have taken place in the absence
of the employees' protected activities. However, it
is made abundantly clear in Mt. Healthy (and was
specifically reiterated in Arlington Heights) that
after an employee or, here, the General Counsel
makes out a prima facie case of employer reliance
upon protected activity, the burden shifts to the
employer to demonstrate that the decision would
have been the same in the absence of protected ac-
tivity. This distinction is a crucial one since the de-
cision as to who bears this burden can be determi-
native.
The "dominant motive" test is further under-
mined by the Arlington Heights decision. As noted
above, the Court in Arlington Heights eschewed the
"dominant motive" analysis by specifically stating
that it is practically impossible to examine a dual
motivation decision and arrive at a conclusion as to
what was the "dominant" or "primary" purpose or
motive. Arlington Heights, 429 U.S. at 265. Finally,
the shifting burden analysis set forth in Mt. Healthy
and Arlington Heights represents a recognition of
WRIGHT LINE
1088 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
the practical reality that the employer is the party
with the best access to proof of its motivation.
V. APPLICATION OF THE MT. HEALTHY TEST TO
SECTION 8(a)(3)
In the final analysis, the applicability of the Mt.
Healthy test to the NLRA depends upon its com-
patibility with established labor law principles and
the extent to which the test reaches an accommo-
dation between conflicting legitimate interests. For,
as the Supreme Court noted, in unfair labor prac-
tice cases:
The ultimate problem is the balancing of the
conflicting legitimate interests. The function of
striking that balance to effectuate national
labor policy is often a difficult and delicate re-
sponsibility, which the Congress committed
primarily to the National Labor Relations
Board, subject to limited judicial review.
[N.L.R.B. v. Truck Drivers Local Union No.
449, International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of
America, AFL, 353 U.S. 87, 96 (1957).]
Initially, support for the Mt. Healthy test of shift-
ing burdens is found in the 1947 amendment of
Section 10(c). That amendment provided that:
No order of the Board shall require the rein-
statement of any individual as employee who
has been suspended or discharged, or the pay-
ment to him of any backpay, if such individual
was suspended or discharged for cause.
While the amendment itself does not address the
"in part" or "dominant motive" analysis or the al-
location of burdens, the legislative history does. In
explaining the amendment Senator Taft stated:
The original House provision was that no
order of the Board could require the reinstate-
ment of any individual or employee who had
been suspended or discharged, unless the
weight of the evidence showed that such indi-
vidual was not suspended or discharged for
cause. In other words, it was turned around so
as to put the entire burden on the employee to
show he was not discharged for cause. Under
provision of the conference report, the em-
ployer has to make the proof. That is the pres-
ent rule and the present practice of the Board.
[93 Cong. Rec. 6678; 2 Leg. Hist. 1595 (1947).]
The principle that "the employer has to make the
proof" is also found in the Supreme Court's deci-
sion in N.L.R.B. v. Great Dane Trailers, Inc., 388
U.S. 26 (1967). In that case the Court was con-
cerned with the burden of proof in 8(a)(3) cases. It
first noted that certain employer actions are inher-
ently destructive of employee rights and, therefore,
no proof of antiunion motive is required. Of
course, the discharge of an employee, in and of
itself, is not normally an inherently destructive act
which would obviate the requirement of showing
an improper motive. In this context, the Court in
Great Dane stated that:
[I]f the adverse effect of the discriminatory
conduct on employee rights is "comparatively
slight," an antiunion motivation must be
proved to sustain the charge if the employer
has come forward with evidence of legitimate
and substantial business justifications for the
conduct. Thus . . . once it has been proved
that the employer engaged in discriminatory
conduct which could have adversely affected
employee rights to some extent, the burden is
upon the employer to establish that he was
motivated by legitimate objectives since proof
of motivation is most accessible to him. [388
U.S. at 34.]
Thus, both Congress and the Supreme Court have
implicitly sanctioned the shift of burden called for
in Mt. Healthy in the context of Section 8(a)(3)."
Indeed, as is indicated by the above quotation of
legislative history and the citation of Great Dane,
the shifting burden process in Mt. Healthy is con-
sistent with the process envisioned by Congress
and the Supreme Court to resolve discrimination
cases, although the process has not been articulated
formally in the manner set forth in Mt. Healthy.
Similarly, it is the process used by the Board.
Thus, the Board's decisional process traditionally
has involved, first, an inquiry as to whether pro-
tected activities played a role in the employer's de-
cision. If so, the inquiry then focuses on whether
any "legitimate business reason" asserted by the
employer is sufficiently proven to be the cause of
the discipline to negate the General Counsel's
showing of prohibited motivation.' 2 Thus, while
the Board's process has not been couched in the
language of Mt. Healthy, the two methods of analy-
sis are essentially the same.
Perhaps most important for our purposes, how-
ever, is the fact that the Mt. Healthy procedure ac-
commodates the legitimate competing interests in-
herent in dual motivation cases, while at the same
" It should be noted that this shifting of burdens does not undermine
the established concept that the General Counsel must establish an unfair
labor practice by a preponderance of the evidence The shifting burden
merely requires the employer to make out what is actually an affirmative
defense (see fn. 6, supra) to overcome the prima facie case of wrongful
motive. Such a requirement does not shift the ultimate burden
1Z The absence of any legitimate basis for an action, of course. man
form part of the proof of the General Counsel's case See, eg.. Shanrruck
Denn Mining Company .NL.R.., 362 F2d 466 (9th Cir. 1966)
WRIGHT LINE 1080
time serving to effectuate the policies and objec-
tives of Section 8(a)(3) of the Act. As the Supreme
Court noted in N.L.R.B. v. Erie Resistor Corp., 373
U.S. 221 (1963), it is fundamental in "situations
present[ing] a complex of motives" that the deci-
sional body be able to accomplish the "delicate
task" of
weighing the interests of employees in concert-
ed activity against the interest of the employer
in operating his business in a particular manner
and of balancing in the light of the Act and its
policy the intended consequences upon em-
ployee rights against the business ends to be
served by the employer's conduct. [373 U.S. at
229.]
Mt. Healthy achieves this goal.
Under the Mt. Healthy test, the aggrieved em-
ployee is afforded protection since he or she is
only required initially to show that protected activ-
ities played a role in the employer's decision. Also,
the employer is provided with a formal framework
within which to establish its asserted legitimate jus-
tification. In this context, it is the employer which
has "to make the proof." Under this analysis,
should the employer be able to demonstrate that
the discipline or other action would have occurred
absent protected activities, the employee cannot
justly complain if the employer's action is upheld.
Similarly, if the employer cannot make the neces-
sary showing, it should not be heard to object to
the employee's being made whole because its
action will have been found to have been motivat-
ed by an unlawful consideration in a manner con-
sistent with congressional intent, Supreme Court
precedent, and established Board processes.
Finally, we find it to be of substantial importance
that our explication of this test of causation will
serve to alleviate the intolerable confusion in the
8(a)(3) area. In this regard, we believe that this test
will provide litigants and the decisionmaking
bodies with a uniform test to be applied in these
8(a)(3) cases. 3
Thus, for the reasons set forth above, we shall
henceforth employ the following causation test in
all cases alleging violation of Section 8(a)(3) or vio-
lations of Section 8(a)(1) turning on employer moti-
vation. First, we shall require that the General
Counsel make a prima facie showing sufficient to
support the inference that protected conduct was a
"motivating factor" in the employer's decision.
Once this is established, the burden will shift to the
employer to demonstrate that the same action
"' Still an additional benefit which will result from our use of the Mr.
Healthy test is that the perceived significance in distinguishing between
pretext and dual motive cases ill be obviated
would have taken place even in the absence of the
protected conduct. 4
Finally, inherent in the adoption of the foregoing
analysis is our recognition of the advantage of
clearing the air by abandoning the "in part" lan-
guage in expressing our conclusion as to whether
the Act was violated. Yet, our abandonment of this
familiar phraseology should not be viewed as a re-
pudiation of the well-established principles and
concepts which we have applied in the past. For,
as noted at the outset of this Decision, our task in
resolving cases alleging violations which turn on
motivation is to determine whether a causal rela-
tionship existed between employees engaging in
union or other protected activities and actions on
the part of their employer which detrimentally
affect such employees' employment. Indeed, it
bears repeating that the "in part" test, the "domi-
nant motive" test, and the Mt. Healthy test all share
a fundamental common denominator in that the ob-
jective of each is to determine the relationship, if
any, between employer action and protected em-
ployee conduct. Until now, in making this determi-
nation we frequently have employed the term "in
part." But in so doing it only was a term used in
pursuit of our goal which is to analyze thoroughly
and completely the justification presented by the
employer. It is, however, our considered view that
adoption of the Mt. Healthy test, with its more pre-
cise and formalized framework for making this
analysis, will serve to provide the necessary clarifi-
cation of our decisional processes while continuing
to advance the fundamental purposes and objec-
tives of the Act.
VI. APPLICATION OF THE MT. HEALTHY TEST
TO THE FACTS OF THE INSTANT CASE
In the instant case, the General Counsel alleges
that Respondent discharged Bernard Lamoureux in
violation of Section 8(a)(3) and (1) of the Act. Re-
spondent denies this allegation, asserting that La-
moureux was discharged for violating a plant rule
against "knowingly altering, or falsifying produc-
tion time reports, payroll records, time cards." The
Administrative Law Judge found that Respondent's
discharge of Lamoureux violated Section 8(a)(3)
and (1) of the Act. For the reasons set forth below,
we agree.
1 In this regard we note that in those instances swhere, after all the
evidence has been submitted, the employer has been unable to carry Its
burden, we will not seek to quantitatively analyze the effect of the un-
lawful cause once it has been found It is enough that the employees' pro-
tected activities are causally related to the employer action which is the
basis of the complaint Whether that "cause" was the straw that broke
the camel's back or a bullet between the eyes. if it were enough to deter-
mine events, it is enough to come within the proscription of the Act
WRIGHT LINE ogq
1090 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
The record reveals that at the time of his dis-
charge Lamoureux had been employed by Re-
spondent for over 10 years. He had occupied the
position of inspector for 2 years and was consid-
ered a better than average employee. Indeed, at the
hearing, his work was described as admirable. On
the day prior to his discharge, Lamoureux's super-
visor, Forte, was instructed by the plant superin-
tendent to "check" on Lamoureux, who had been
observed entering a restroom carrying a newspa-
per. ' The next morning, Forte discovered certain
discrepancies in Lamoureux's timesheet. The time-
sheet indicated that Lamoureux had been working
on certain jobs at the time when Forte had been
looking for him the previous day but had been
unable to find him at his work station.' 6 Upon re-
porting this finding to his own supervisor, Forte
was told that "the offense was a dischargeable of-
fense."
Thereafter, Forte was instructed to ask Lamour-
eux for an explanation. Although Forte did so, the
record reveals that Lamoureux's final check had al-
ready been prepared when Forte confronted him
with the discrepancy. Respondent then rejected
Lamoureux's explanation, in which he conceded
that he may not have performed the jobs at the
times indicated on his timesheet but maintained that
the jobs had in fact been performed that day. La-
moureux was promptly dicharged, purportedly for
violating a plant rule against "knowingly altering,
or falsifying production time reports, payroll re-
cords, time cards." Respondent conceded that La-
moureux was not discharged for being away from
his work station or for not performing his assigned
work. 7
In presenting his prima facie case of wrongful
motive, the General Counsel demonstrated that La-
moureux had become a leading union advocate, be-
ginning in 1976. During both the 1976 and 1977
election campaigns, both of which were lost by the
Union, Lamoureux actively solicited support for
the Union among his fellow employees. It is undis-
puted that Respondent was well aware of his sym-
pathies and activities. Thus, during the 1977 cam-
paign, which like the 1976 campaign appears to
have included aggressive electioneering on both
sides, Lamoureux was reprimanded by manage-
s Respondent never contended that such conduct violated shop rules.
'^ It was conceded that Lamoureux's work activities might legitimate-
ly have carried him to other parts of the plant. Nevertheless, Forte did
not use the paging system to try to locate Lamoureux, or even check the
men's room where Lamoureux was last seen.
17 In this connection, we note that Respondent did not seek to deter-
mine where Lamoureux had been when Forte discovered him absent
from his work station, nor did Respondent seek to verify whether La-
moureux had, as he claimed, performed the inspections indicated on his
timesheet. Rather, Respondent simply informed Lamoureux that he was
no longer worthy of Respondent's trust.
ment, allegedly for pressuring an employee regard-
ing the Union. 8 Also, during the 1977 campaign,
Respondent's supervisors on several occasions di-
rected gratuitous remarks regarding the Union
toward Lamoureux, once calling him the "union
kingpin." We also note that the discharge took
place just 2 months after the 1977 election.
In addition, it can scarcely be disputed that Re-
spondent harbored animus toward both the Union
and union activists, including Lamoureux. Re-
spondent's antiunion campaign included, inter alia,
references to the murder indictment of an official
of one of the Union's sister locals in another State,
as well as an unsupported claim that Respondent's
"chances for survival and growth would be seri-
ously hurt by the presence of a union." In view of
the tone of the campaign, along with Respondent's
remarks directed specifically to Lamoureux, we
agree with the Administrative Law Judge that Re-
spondent displayed considerable animus toward La-
moureux, whom it considered to be the "union
kingpin."
The General Counsel also demonstrated that Re-
spondent never previously had discharged an em-
ployee under these circumstances, although, as de-
tailed by the Administrative Law Judge, the record
shows that employees commonly completed time-
sheets as Lamoureux had and that such discrepan-
cies had no effect on the accuracy of the system of
production control. It also appears that, of the only
two other employees ever discharged for violating
the rule regarding the falsification of company re-
cords, one was discharged for embezzlement and
the other for deliberate forgery of sales records in
order to collect fraudulent sales commissions. '9
Furthermore, two employees who had deliberately
violated the same rule by falsifying their timecards
were issued warnings and were not discharged.
From the foregoing, we conclude that the Gen-
eral Counsel made a prima facie showing that La-
moureux's union activity was a motivating factor in
Respondent's decision to discharge him. Our con-
clusion is based on Respondent's union animus, as
reflected in the hostility directed toward Lamour-
eux resulting from his active role in the union cam-
paign as well as the timing of the discharge, which
occurred shortly after completion of the latest
union election. Also of significance is Respondent's
sudden and unexplained departure from its usual
practice of declining to discharge employees for
their first violation of this nature. Such action here
is especially suspect in light of Lamoureux's admi-
'" Respondent's witness later conceded that the word "pressure" was
too) strong.
"i Unlike these employees, it was conceded that Lamoureux could not
hase benefited financially from the discrepancies on his timesheet
WRIGHT LINE 1091
rable work record and the fact that his timesheet
discrepancies neither inured to his benefit nor
served to affect detrimentally Respondent's pro-
duction control system.
We further find that Respondent has failed to
demonstrate that it would have taken the same
action against Lamoureux in the absence of his en-
gaging in union activities. In this regard we note
that the record discrepancies were only discovered
by Forte following the plant supervisor's directive
to "check" on Lamoureux, despite the fact that Re-
spondent had no reason to believe that Lamoureux
was untrustworthy. Under the circumstances, such
actions suggest a predetermined plan to discover a
reason to discharge Lamoureux and thus rid the fa-
cility of a union activist.2 0 Further undermining
Respondent's defense is the evidence which dem-
onstrates disparate treatment. As noted previously,
the only instances where discharge was imposed by
Respondent as a result of "record discrepancies"
were where the employee in question sought to
embezzle funds or collect fraudulent sales commis-
sions. Lamoureux's infraction clearly did not rise to
such a level. Indeed, the record demonstrates that
such record discrepancies were commonplace and
generally resulted in no discipline whatsoever. In
those instances where discipline was imposed, Re-
spondent issued warnings or other forms of disci-
pline short of discharge.
Accordingly, for the reasons noted above, we
find that Respondent's discharge of Bernard La-
moureux violated Section 8(a)(3) and (1) of the
Act.
ORDER
Pursuant to Section 10(c) of the National Labor
Relations Act, as amended, the National Labor Re-
lations Board adopts as its Order the recommended
Order of the Administrative Law Judge, as modi-
fied below, and hereby orders that the Respondent,
Wright Line, a Division of Wright Line, Inc.,
Worcester, Massachusetts, its officers, agents, suc-
cessors, and assigns, shall take the action set forth
in the said recommended Order, as so modified:
1. Substitute the following for paragraph l(b):
"(b) In any like or related manner interfering
with, restraining, or coercing employees in the ex-
ercise of the rights guaranteed them under Section
7 of the Act."
2. Substitute the attached notice for that of the
Administrative Law Judge.
MEMBER JENKINS, concurring:
2o See, e.g., Lipman Bros.. Inc., er a., 147 NLRB 1342, 1376 (1964),
enfd. 355 F.2d 15, 21 (Ist Cir. 1966).
I am willing to apply the shifting burden-of-
proof standard my colleagues adopt for determin-
ing whether a discharge was caused by an unlawful
purpose where the discharge may have had more
than one cause, not all of them unlawful. This
standard may suffice for most cases. However,
there may remain a residue, perhaps small, of cases
of mixed motive or cause, where the purposes are
so interlocked that it is not possible to point to one
of them as "the" cause. All of them, both lawful
and unlawful, may have combined to push the em-
ployer to the decision he would not have reached
if even one were absent. In such cases, it is plainly
not the latest event, the most recent purpose,
which is the cause of the discharge; rather, it is all
of them together, from earliest to latest, which
cause the discharge.2
Where the evidence does not permit the isolation
of a single event or motive as the cause of the dis-
charge, then plainly the unlawful motive must be
deemed to be part of the cause of the discharge,
and the discharge is unlawful. By definition, it took
all these straws to break the camel's back, so each
of them provides a contribution "but for" which
the camel would have survived. It is fair that the
party who created this situation, in which isolation
of a single cause is impossible, bear the burden cre-
ated by his venture into an area prohibited by the
Act. Thus, the "in part" standard, as distinguished
from the "but for" and "dominant motive" tests, is
the only criterion which will effectuate the pur-
poses of the statute. As my colleagues note, the
legislative history shows plainly that Congress
itself struck this balance, and I read Mi. Healthy as
also in effect adopting this standard.
Thus, my only reservation now is the way in
which the shifting burden-of-proof standard may be
applied to prevent unlawful conduct. If experience
shows it to be inadequate in application, modifica-
tion may be required.
21 It is the difficulty in singling out one individual cause in such situa-
tions which has led to criticism and rejection of a "but for" standard as a
measure of cause; there is no logical way to apply a "but for" standard in
such cases except to fasten upon the most recent event or motive See
Prosser. "Handbook of the Law of Torts" at 238-239, 4th ed. (1971);
LaFave and Scott, "Handbook on Criminal Law." at 249-251 (1972)
APPENDIX
NOTICE To EMPLOYEES
POSTED BY ORDER OF THE
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
An Agency of the United States Government
After a hearing at which all sides had an opportu-
nity to present evidence and state their positions,
the National Labor Relations Board found that we
WRIGHT LINE
1092 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
have violated the National Labor Relations Act, as
amended, and has ordered us to post this notice.
WE WILL NOT discourage membership in
Truck Drivers Union Local 170, affiliated with
International Brotherhood of Teamsters,
Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of
America, or any other labor organization, by
unlawfully discharging any employees or dis-
criminating against them in any other manner
with respect to their hire or tenure of employ-
ment.
WE WILL NOT in any like or related manner
interfere with, restrain, or coerce our employ-
ees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed
them under Section 7 of the National Labor
Relations Act.
WE WILL offer Bernard R. Lamoureux rein-
statement to his former job or, if his job no
longer exists, to a substantially equivalent job,
discharging, if necessary, any employee hired
to replace him.
WE WILL restore his seniority and other
rights and privileges and WE WILL pay him the
backpay he lost because we discharged him,
with interest.
WRIGHT LINE, A DIVISION OF
WRIGHT LINE, INC.
DECISION
STATEMENT OF THE CASE
LOWELL GOERLICH, Administrative Law Judge: The
charge filed by Bernard R. Lamoureux on January 3,
1978, was served on Wriqht Line, a Division of Wright
Line, Inc., the Respondent herein, on January 4, 1978. A
complaint and notice of hearing was issued on February
23, 1978. In the complaint it was charged that the Re-
spondent unlawfully discharged Lamoureux on Decem-
ber 30, 1977, in violation of Section 8(a)(1) and (3) of the
National Labor Relations Act, as amended, herein re-
ferred to as the Act.
The Respondent filed a timely answer denying that it
had engaged in or was engaging in the unfair labor prac-
tices alleged.
The case came on for hearing at Boston, Massachu-
setts, on June 19 and July 10, 11, 12, and 13, 1978. Each
party was afforded a full opportunity to be heard, to call,
examine, and cross-examine witnesses, to argue orally on
the record, to submit proposed findings of fact and con-
clusions, and to file briefs. All briefs have been carefully
considered.
FINDINGS OF FACT, ' CONCLUSIONS, AND) REASONS
THEREFOR
I. THE BUSINESS OF THE RESPONDENT
The Respondent is and has been at all times material
herein a corporation duly organized under and existing
by virtue of the laws of the Commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts.
At all times herein mentioned, the Respondent has
maintained its principal office and place of business at
160 Gold Star Boulevard, in the city of Worcester and
Commonwealth of Massachusetts (herein called the
Worcester location), and is now and continuously has
been engaged at said plant in the manufacture, warehous-
ing, and distribution of accessory products for computer
rooms to be purchased and transported in interstate com-
merce from and through various States of the United
States other than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
and causes, and continuously has caused at all times
herein mentioned, substantial quantities of materials to be
sold and transported from said plant in interstate com-
merce to States of the United States other than the Com-
monwealth of Massachusetts.
The Respondent annually ships materials valued in
excess of $50,000 from its Worcester, Massachusetts, lo-
cation to points outside of the Commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts. The Respondent annually receives materials
valued in excess of $50,000 at its Worcester, Massachu-
setts, location directly from points outside the Common-
wealth of Massachusetts.
The aforesaid Respondent is and has been engaged in
commerce within the meaning of the Act.
II. THE LABOR ORGANIZATION INVOLVED
Truck Drivers Union Local 170, affiliated with Inter-
national Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Ware-
housemen and Helpers of America (herein referred to as
the Union or Teamsters Local 170), is a labor organiza-
tion within the meaning of Section 2(5) of the Act.
IIl. THE UNFAIR I.ABOR PRACTICES
A. The Facts
On August 27, 1976, and October 20, 1977, representa-
tion elections were conducted in Cases 1-RC-14576 and
l-RC-15338, respectively, at the Respondent's facility in
a unit of "all production and maintenance employees, in-
cluding warehousemen, truck drivers, tool-and-die room
employees, new product department employees, and
cafeteria employees employed by the Employer at its 160
Gold Star Boulevard and 150 Grove Street, Worcester,
I The facts found herein are based on the record as a whole and obser-
vation of the witnesses. The credibility resolutions herein have been de-
rived from a review of the entire testimonial record and exhibits, with
due regard for the logic of probability, the demeanor of the witnesses,
and the teachings of N.LR.B. . Walton Manufacturing Company & Lo-
ganville Pants Co., 369 .S 404, 4)8 (1962) As to those switnesses testify-
ing in contradiction to the indings herein, their testimony has been dis-
credited, either as having been in conflict ith the testimony of credible
witnesses or because it swas in and of itself incredible and unworthy of
belief. All testimony has been reviewed and weighed in the light of the
entire record. No testimony has been pretermitted.
WRIGHT LINE- 10g
Massachusetts locations, but excluding all office clerical
employees, professional employees, guards and supervi-
sors as defined in the Act." Teamsters Local 170, the
only Union on the ballots, lost both elections. During
both election campaigns, the Respondent opposed the
Union and urged employees to vote against it. In the
most recent campaign in 1977, the Respondent issued an-
tiunion letters and leaflets to the employees. In pressing
its intense antiunion campaign, the Respondent published
reproductions of certain newspaper articles, derogatory
of the Teamsters, one of which displayed a picture of
Anthony Provenzano in handcuffs with the caption
"Teamster Provenzano Indicted in 1961 Murder."
Moreover, the Respondent couched its appeal in terms
of survival, for it wrote its employees, "It is our firm
belief, which by the way many of our loyal employees
share with us, that Wright Line's chances for survival
and growth would be seriously hurt by the presence of a
union here . . . and with your NO vote, Wright Line in
Worcester can continue on its competitive drive for sur-
vival in a very difficult industry." It is positive that the
Respondent does not want the Union in its plant.
Lamoureux was the employee who first brought the
union to the Respondent's plant in 1976. He "got things
going as far as getting pledge cards, getting lieutenants
to pass them out. And so forth." He attended union
meetings and solicited union affection at the Respond-
ent's plant. Lamoureux served as an alternate observer at
the 1976 election. Lamoureux was as active in the second
election as in the first except that he did not serve as an
alternative observer. During the 1977 election campaign,
Francis O. Forte, supervisor of quality control and times-
tudy and Lamoureux's boss, called Lamoureux to Man-
ager of Product Engineering Donald McCallum's office
and charged him with having been seen "pressuring
someone to vote union in the paint department." La-
moureux denied the accusation and stated if Forte per-
sisted he would like a grievance form. Later Forte apolo-
gized and said that his use of the word "pressure" was
too strong." On another occasion while Lamoureux was
counting his paycheck money, Forte remarked, "What's
that. Union campaign funds?" Shortly before the 1977
election Rudolph Tuoni, the maintenance foreman, said
to Lamoureux, "Everybody knows you're the Union
kingpin. "2
Lamoureux was employed as an inspector and was as-
signd to departments 12 and 14 where he inspected
pieces fabricated by the machines in these departments.
The function of department 12, the forming department,
was to "form bends and angles of the sheet metal parts."
Department 14 "performs the operation of welding one
or more sheet metal parts together to form compo-
nents."3 Lamoureux's job was (as explained by Lamour-
eux) "just to see that all manufactured items were within
blueprint specifications, and through job experience there
were a lot of other small areas, such as fit and things like
that, which were not on the blueprint."
2 This testimony was not denied
3 The Respondent "primarily makes sheet metal parts that form a stor'
age sy:tem for the computer industry"
When a machine was set up in either department 12 or
144 Lamoureux performed what was termed a first-piece
inspection by which he determined whether the piece
produced came up to the blueprint specifications. If it
did not, production was not permitted until the piece
passed inspection. When the inspector was not available,
the setup man or the foreman was authorized to pass a
first piece. After a favorable first-piece inspection was
completed a written approval was endorsed on the "trav-
eling inspection document [traveling inspection report]
which goes with the blueprint for each job." In addition
to first-piece inspections, Lamoureux also performed in-
termediate inspections of the fabricated piece while the
machines were running in order to ascertain whether a
variance from the specifications had occurred. The
"start" time of each inspection, whether first-piece or in-
termediate, was recorded on a daily activity sheet5 on
which the piece inspected was identified by number. In
addition to the first-piece and intermediate inspection,
Lamoureux from time to time also performed visual spot
inspections of finished pieces stored in holding areas lo-
cated in the vicinity of the departments. No entries for
such spot inspections were required on the daily activity
sheet. As part of Lamoureux's job, according to Forte"
[t]here would be times that possibly a part might not
conform to the blueprint and if Mr. Lamoureux would
feel better by going into another area and checking to
see that the part could function as is before making a dis-
position, he had this universal authority to do that [i]n
the holding areas or the Assembly Department or even
Product Development. 6
On the morning of December 29, 1977, Paul Southard,
the plant superintendent, around 9:55 a.m. came to
Forte's office and told Forte that he had seen Lamour-
eux "taking a newspaper and going into the men's
room." He asked Forte to "check it out and find out
what was going on." Forte went to departments 12 and
14 and continually walked back and forth through these
departments for about 35 minutes looking for Lamour-
eux.7 About 10:35 a.m., Lamoureux, approaching from
the direction of department 16, appeared in department
14. Forte said nothing to Lamoureux but returned to his
office where he allegedly wrote, "Bernie not in Dept. 12
or 14 from 10:00 to 10:35-Then saw him at far end of
Dept. near time clock." In the afternoon, about I
o'clock, Forte was distributing a description of a dental
plan to the inspection department and was unable to find
Lamoureux in department 12 or 14. After about 25 min-
utes Forte found Lamoureux at a workbench inspecting
a part. Forte said, "I've been looking for you. I've got to
give you this dental plan." Nothing else was said. Forte
returned to the office and allegedly noted, "12:50 to 1:05
not in Dept. 12 or 14, 1:10 to 1:20 not in Dept. 12 or 14.
4 There were 15 or 20 machines in department 14, and 12 machines in
department 15
5 While the daily activity sheet provided for an entry of the start time,
Lamoureux testified that he usually entered the finish time The sheet
provided no place to enter the finish time
R An inspector's assignments are always sufficient "to consume I(4)":
of his time."
Forte did not check the men's room referred to by Southard nor did
he use the paging system to try to locate Lamoureux
WRIGHT LINE I 03
1094 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL L.ABOR RELATIONS BOARD
Then he was at coil bench w/pc at 1:20 p.m." Forte did
not ask Lamoureux where he had been.
According to Forte, the next morning he checked La-
moureux's daily activity sheet and discovered that La-
moureux had noted that he had performed four inspec-
tions between 10 a.m. and 10:35 a.m. and three inspec-
tions between 12:55 p.m. and 1:15 p.m., the times when
Forte had not seen him in either department 12 or 14.
Forte reported his findings to his supervisor, McCallum.
McCallum thought that "the offense was a dischargeable
offense" and asked Forte to immediately accompany him
to the office of Carl Dean, the vice president of manu-
facturing, and "explain the situation to him in regard to
the violation." Forte reviewed his findings for Dean,
after which Kendall Allen Hodder, the personnel direc-
tor, was called to the meeting. Dean allegedly said "to
check it out with Mr. Lamoureux to find out what the
story was. And if what [Forte] found was substantiated
through Mr. Lamoureux's description of what might
have gone on, then we could discharge him." Thereafter
Forte reduced the events involving Lamoureux to writ-
ing. A part of this memorandum recited:
His record sheet shows he allegedly performed spe-
cific inspection operations [in] designated depart-
ments at times he himself recorded when he was
not here as determined by personal and direct ob-
servation of his supervisor. This is a categorical vio-
lation of group I rule #2-falsification of time re-
ports.
Group 1, rule 2, provides that an employee may be dis-
charged for the first infraction of "knowingly altering or
falsifying production time reports, payroll records, or
time cards, or punching another employee's time card
without supervisory approval."8
An examination of the traveling inspection report and
the credible record reveals that Lamoureux had per-
formed all the inspections noted on his daily activity
sheet during the times he was absent from departments
12 and 14. In this regard, Forte testified that "it was ir-
relevant as far as whether he did the work or didn't do
the work as far as the decision to discharge." Forte testi-
fied also that he made no effort to determine whether in-
spections had actually been made,9 although that fact
could have been ascertained. Later in his testimony on
redirect examination, Forte said he was instructed by
McCallum to check the traveling sheets while the sum-
mary was being typed up and before Lamoureux was
contacted. Forte said that he discovered from the travel-
ing sheets that Lamoureux had signed the sheets. Prior
to Forte's testimony, McCallum had testified, when
called by the General Counsel, to the question:
I Personnel Director Hodder testifed that the Respondent, under the
rule. could exercise its discretion wshether to discharge an employee or
administer a lesser penalty.
' Forte w'as asked
Q Then I can assume, can I not, that you made no effort to deter-
mine if. in fact. these particular inspections were or were not made,
correctl
A Correct
Q. But you never made a check on it to see if he
actually did [the work] or not'.'
A. That was not the issue here.
Later, after Forte had testified, McCallum as the Re-
spondent's witness testified that:
I went with him [Forte] for a brief moment of
time to evaluate the traveling inspection documents
which also go with the job. This evaluation did not
indicate anything that would change our mind re-
garding the offense; here were some documents
which had been signed by Mr. Lamoureux and
others that had not and in some cases he would not
have been required to sign them as there were inter-
mediate inspections involved. 0
At 3 p.m. Lamoureux was called to a meeting with
Hodder, McCallum, and Forte. Lamoureux described
what occurred:
Well, they had me read the report and Mr. Forte
said that he was out in the departments at that time,
and he could not find me there and he showed me
my sheets with the times on them. He asked me
where I was and I told him I had gone to the men's
room, but I had checked the jobs out. I So they
said, "Well, you've got the times wrong." I believe
it was Mr. Hodder and he said, "Didn't you read
your rule book?" So I think it was around that time
that I told him, "C'mon, you guys, you know I'm in
here because of the Union."
And, Mr. McCallum stated that he didn't believe
Frank could trust me anymore,1 2 and he didn't
even know if the jobs were checked out or not, and
that they were going to disharge me; and they gave
me my check.
During the conversation Lamoureux told them that the
"times weren't accurate and they never were, but [he]
told them, "If you want them right to the second, I can
put them right to the second." Lamoureux also said that
he had made visual checks during the time he was away
from departments 12 and 14.'3
McCallum asserted that Lamoureux was discharged
for falsification of time reports and for no other reason.
McCallum explained, "Both Mr. Forte ... and myself
felt that we could no longer trust Mr. Lamoureux in per-
forming his duties. He was indicating that he was on the
job, specifying that he actually performed work when he
was nowhere near the area; and therefore we could no
longer trust him to carry out the duties of his function."
"' The change in the testimony of Forte and McCallum appears to
have been an attempt to create the semblance of an investigation hereas
there had been none,
II McCallum testified that Lamoureux told them that he had "per-
formed them earlier, and then just wrote these times in there to fill out
this sheet."
12 McCallum testified that he told Lamoureux that "we could no
longer trust him to perform his function, and the requirements of this job,
and for falsification of these records" McCallum also observed that
"Union activity in no way had anything to do ith it"
"' Forte testified that Lamoureux said he was "down probably in the
back checking something"
WRIGiH L.INE 1()9"
No other exployee had been discharged under the
same circumstances as Lamoureux.'4 However, emplo-
ee Geradi, who violated a group I rule, was warned, not
discharged;' 5 employee Gleason, who also violated a
group I rule, was likewise warned and not discharged." ;
In fact, it would appear from an examination of the Re-
spondent's handbook of information for employees that
the Respondent was not a harsh employer but tried to
understand and be helpful with its employees' problems.
In referring to the personnel department. the handbook
reveals that they are here to give you help and guidance.
They are expected to insure that both sides of the prob-
lem are being brought out fairly . .. We believe it is
healthy to talk about grievances." Moreover, Forte said
that there would have been "nothing wrong" with La-
moureux being in the "bathroom for 15 to 20 minutes."
Indeed, Forte agreed that Lamoureux could have been
legitimately away from departments 14 and 15 during the
time involved for a "multitude of reasons," including
conferring with other inspectors in other parts of the
plant which could have kept him away from the depart-
ments for 10 or 15 minutes, "getting a part from stock"
which could have consumed "[M]aybe forty-five min-
utes," or going to the research and development depart-
ment. i7 McCallum agreed that a dollar value could not
be placed on Lamoureux's inaccurate reporting and con-
sidered money not to be the "issue." Moreover, McCal-
lum admitted that Lamoureux had nothing to gain by the
alleged falsification.
Lamoureux commenced working for the Respondent
in November 1966, and had been an inspector for f over 2
years. 8 His work was satisfactory: he received merit in-
creases. When Forte rated Lamoureux in 1977, he was
rated average or better than average in all categories
(eight categories were marked average; seven better than
average). In "potential for advancement," he was rated
better than average. In this regard, Lamoureux was
trained in the use of the optical comparator, a task which
only one other inspector (Rousseau) was capable of per-
forming. It involved the inspection of plastics, a difficult
job. Lamoureux had instructed other inspectors and had
instructed both McCallum and Forte on the optical com-
parator. Lamoureux had never been disciplined nor had
any foreman found fault with his work. From time to
time, Lamoureux made helpful suggestions to the Re-
spondent, for which he was. mmended. Forte agreed
that Lamoureux showed conce n about doing a good
job. A few weeks before La oureux was discharged,
Forte had commended him or the good work he had
performed on the night shift. Forte agreed from his ob-
4 The only other discharges for falsification of records inollsed one
employee, a salesman Wsho falsified his call reports, thus enabling him to
collect money for calls he was not making, and another employee. an ac-
countant, who as embezzling money
'" His offene had been delihberate slowing dow n of production
i" Other employees who were only warned sere D Geoffrey, hho
punched another exployee's timecard, and Valerie Rousseau, chief inspec-
tir. who failed to punch her timecard and "admitted that someone
was punching her timecard Did not notify her superv isor"
t7 It would seem that the reason Forte failed to inquire of Lamoureu
as to his whereabouts during his absence was due to the fact that he did
not consider Lamoureux's absence to require explanation
hi McCallum agreed lith the General Counsel that the Respondenl
had a "real in estmeni" in Lamoureux as an inpcetlor
servation of Lamoureux that he "knew what he was
doing and could do the job." In fact. Forte said that La-
moureux "''seened to be vert proud of the amount of
work he ywas doing." Indeed, Forte commenlted, "I was
very satisfied with the amount of work that it appeared
that he ,'as doing." Forte added, "Just looking at the
sheets, I would assume that Mr. Lamoureux as per-
forming in an admirable fashion." There is little question
that the credible evidence establishes that Lamoureux did
perform in an "admirable fashion," except for the inaccu-
racies which appeared on his daily activity sheet for De-
cember 29, 1977. The inattention which the Respondent
allowed this detail is illustrated by an examination of sev-
eral inspectors' daily activity reports. John Murdock's
sheet for October 30, 1977, reveals that he entered a start
time at 7:75 and the next at 8, another at 12:90 and the
next at 1:10; and another at 1:75 and the next at 2. Other
sheets reveal the same discrepancies. On V. Rousseau's
sheet of October 28, 1977, she reported start times of
7:60, 7:70. 7:80, and 8. On another sheet, she reported
14:80 and 15:00 as successive start times. Her October 25,
1977, sheet shows starting times of 7:50, 7:60. 7:70, 7:80.
and 8. The same was true on October 24. Other discrep-
ancies appear in her sheets which lead to the conclusion
that these were "plugged" entries. A cursory examina-
tion of these sheets would have revealed these inaccura-
cies.
Lamoureux testified that when the form first came out
John Larson, i s his supervisor at the time, told the em-
ployees that recording "the time was just to have a gen-
eral idea of when the part was in a particular area of the
shop." Lamoureux further said that Forte had not given
oral or written instructions on the subject. Larson testi-
fied that he wanted something to the "closest five min-
utes." Larson also testified that the Brooks system,
which was instituted after he put the daily activity sheets
into effect, used the form to relate the total number of
inspections to production. Larson explained:
[I]f there were fifty operations run in the depart-
ment and we covered forty, if we inspected forty of
them, we'd have got an eighty percent coverage.
Precise time entries were not considered much of a
factor as long as the inspection actually occurred. Both
Larson and Forte, who followed Larson as supervisor,
reviewed the daily activities sheets of all inspectors and
entered on a weekly performance report the percent cov-
erage for each department. The percent coverage was
derived from comparing the number of new operations
with the number of first-piece inspections. Nothing in
this report was related to the time of each piece inspec-
tion. These reports were reviewed by McCallum.
According to McCallum the weekly performance re-
ports covered "the percent of coverage in relationship to
first piece inspections to the total number of jobs that ran
that particular area for the previous week" (80-percent
coverage was the norm); "the average number of inspec-
tions performed by each individual inspector in a -hour
period"; the number of inspections performed per hour
:' I arson is rlo lnger in he Responden's erplo>
RIGHT tIN Ibis
1096 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELA TIONS B()ARD
per inspector (the average inspection took 10 to 15 min-
utes;2 0 and "the actual hours worked both in a daily and
weekly basis by inspectors versus planned work hours."
Precise time entries for the inspection of each peice were
not essential to preparing the weekly performance
report.2 1 Referring to the daily activity sheet, McCallum
said, "We utilize these records for determining levels of
staffing, and department and individual performance
within a department." Since the sheet noted only start
times, there was no way of ascertaining from the sheet
(unless otherwise noted) what had been done between
the times of the entries 22 However, the procedure
which requires the approval by an inspection before a
piece may be produced and the inspector's notation on
the traveling inspection report is a positive check as to
whether the inspector has performed the inspection.
11. CONCL USIONS AND REASONS THEREFOR
It is well established that the General Counsel bears
the burden of proving an unlawful discharge,23 howev-
er, "once it has been proved that the employer engaged
in discriminatory conduct which could have adversely
affected employee rights to some extent, the burden is
upon the employer to establish that he was motivated by
legitimate objectives since proof of motivation is most
accessible to him." 24
Here, the General Counsel has provided ample proof
of the Respondent's antiunion motivation. In this regard,
the General Counsel has offered credible proof that the
discharge of Lamoureux, a union kingpin, would have
gratified the Respondent's antiunion stance; 25 that the
Respondent had knowledge of Lamoureux's union con-
nections and knew that he was a union kingpin; 26 that
usually the Respondent did not discharge an employee
for the commission of a first offense of the kind here
committed; and that the Respondent sustained no losses
by reason of Lamoureux's misconduct. Moreover, the
Respondent had a substantial investment in the cost of
training Lamoureux as an inspector. Additionally, La-
moureux was a satisfactory employee, considered by the
Respondent to have been good material for advance-
20 Forte said the average inspection took about 12 minutes.
21 McCallum agreed with the General Counsel that the form could be
filled out without reference to the entry of a starting time
21 Forte testified that a completion time was not included because "the
Inspector's job is to continually inspect. When you finish one job and
start the next, that is an encompassing factor of the operation. It may be
getting of tools and putting away of tools that have to go with the in-
spection of any given part."
23 See N.L.R.B. v Borden Co., 392 F.2d 412, 416 (5th Cir. 1968) G. H.
Hicks and Sons. Incorporated, 141 NLRB 1272, 1273 (1963).
24 NL.R.B. v. Great Dane Trailers, Inc., 388 U.S. 26, 34 (1967).
25 "Of course, the company has a legal right to 'make no bones about
its opposition to the Union.' Hendrix Manufacturing Co. v.,N.L.R.B.. 321
F.2d 100, 103 (5th Cir. 1963). However, the Board is entitled to consider
emphatic anti-union attitudes as 'background' against which to measure
the impact on employees of mangemenl's statements and conduct. 321 F
2d at 103-04, fn. 6." Independent Inc.. d/b/a The Daily Advertiser
N.L.R. B., 406 F 2d 203, 205 (5th Cir. 1969)
26 "The discharge of employees who are actively engaged in union af-
fairs gives rise to an inference of violative discrimination " .VL.R.B. ,.
Montgomery Ward & Co., Incorporated. 554 F,2d 996. 1()02 (C A 10,
1977).
ment. 27 Without a doubt, the General Counsel has estab-
lished a prima facie case. 2
In response to the General Counsel's prima facie case,
the Respondent claims as "legitimate objectives" the fact
that Lamoureux must remain discharged because his re-
cording of inaccuracies in start times for inspections ex-
hibited an untrustworthiness which it cannot abide in its
employees. 29 It added at the hearing that Lamoureux's
alleged offense jeopardized the Brooks system of produc-
tion control.a ° In weighing the Respondent's alleged jus-
tification for its conduct, it must be considered that "an
employer may hire and discharge at will, so long as his
action is not based on opposition to union activities."
N.L.R.B. v. The Little Rock Downtowner Inc., 341 F.2d
1020, 1021 (8th Cir. 1965), citing N.L.R.B. v. South
Rambler Company, 324 F.2d 447, 449 (8th Cir. 1963).
"[A]bsent a showing of antiunion motivation, an employ-
er may discharge an employee for a good reason, a bad
reason, or for no reason at all." N.L.R.B. v. 0. A. Fuller
Super Markets, Inc., 374 F.2d 197, 200 (5th Cir. 1967).
However, "[t]he mere existence of valid grounds for a
discharge is no defense to a charge that the discharge
was unlawful, unless the discharge was predicated solely
on those grounds, and not be a desire to discourage
union activity." N.L.R.B. v. Symons Manufacturing Co.,
328 F.2d 835, 837 (7th Cir. 1964). "A justifiable ground
for dismissal is no defense if it is a pretext and not the
moving cause." N.L.R.B. v. Solo Cup Company, 237 F.2d
521, 525 (8th Cir. 1956). "[T]he 'real motive' of the em-
ployer in an alleged 8(a)(3) violation is decisive...."
N.L.R.B. v. Brown Food Store, 380 U.S. 278, 287 (1965). 1
am convinced that the "real motive" for the Respond-
ent's discharge of Lamoureux was to discourage mem-
bership in a labor organization. As for trustworthiness,
Lamoureux's work pattern had been the same for over 2
27 "The rule is that if the employee has behaved badly it won't help
him to adhere to the Union. and his employer's anti-union animus is not
of controlling importance. But if the employee is a good worker and his
breach of the work rules trivial, the more rational explanation for dis-
charge may be invidious motivation Such motivation can be found from
the absence of any good cause for discharge. This must be so unless we
are willing to assume something we know to be false: that businessmen
hire and fire without any reason at all.
"In the end after weighing all relevant factors including particular-
ly the gravity of the offense, an unfair labor practice may be found
only if there is a basis in the record for a finding that the employees
would not have been discharged, though he may have been subject-
ed to a milder form of punishment for the offense, except for the fact
of his union activity " Neptune Water Meter Companvy, a Division of
iVeptune International Corporation v. N;L.R.B.. 551 F 2d 568, 570 4th
Cir 1977).
R "Fundamentally, a prima Jicie case is one which is established by
sufficient evidence and can be overcome only by a preponderance of
competent, credible rebutting evidence." National .utomobile and Casvual-
tv Insurance Co. 199 NLRB 91, 92 (1972).
2' "There is clearly no obligation on the Board to accept at face value
the reason advanced by the employer." N.L.R.B. v. Buitoni Foods Carp.,
298 F,2d 169. 174 (3 Cir. 1962).
:'o This alleged justification has no validity at all The credible ei-
dence discloses that the start time entries are not essential nor are they
noticed in the compilation of the weekly performance report which is the
only document from the inspection department which is utilized within
the Brooks system. The Brooks system functions without reference to the
start time entries. The Respondent's reliance on this unsubstantiated justi-
fication is totally unconvincing and "bear[s] the hallmarks of after-
thought." .L.R.B. v S . Nihol-Dovr. Inc.. 414 F 2d 561, 564 (3d
Cir 1969)
WRIGHT LINE 1097
years, concerning which the Respondent had registered
no complaints. His work had been satisfactory. The
amount of work he produced indicated that he had not
and was not cheating the Respondent. His production
satisfied the norm set by the Brooks system. Moreover, if
the untrustworthiness charge (which sprang from the in-
accuracies in the start time recording) is valid, then other
inspectors would also have been guilty of untrustworthi-
ness since their daily activity reports disclosed on their
faces (and easily discernible) inaccuracies in the record-
ing of start time.3 Indeed, the credible evidence does
not reveal that the Respondent had insisted on a wholly
accurate recording of the start times. Furthermore, other
employees who were guilty of group I rule offenses
were warned rather than discharged for the first of-
fense.3 2 Moreover, considering the high standard of
trustworthiness which the Respondent was exacting from
Lamoureux, it is incongruous that it required so little
from Chief Inspector Rousseau that she received only a
warning for having another employee punch her time-
card. Her "phonied up" timecard should arouse a strong
suspicion of dishonesty since she could have used the
phony card to cover up an absence, tardiness, or early
quitting time, any of which would have cost the Em-
ployer money. Moreover, if Rousseau had "phonied up"
her timecards, it seems likely that she might have "phon-
ied up" her start times on her daily activity sheets. For
this offense Rousseau could have been discharged (see
Group 1, rule 2, cited above,) but she was not. Disparate
treatment is obvious; discrimination proved. 33
Thus, the record reveals that Lamoureux's first offense
of seemingly inoffensive significance 3 4 (at least when
measured by the Respondent's past practice) was blown
up to a point where it accommodated the Respondent's
antiunion stance.
The credible evidence further supports a finding that
Forte showed little concern for Lamoureux's absence
from his job on the two occasions even though Plant Su-
perintendent Southard asked him to check Lamoureux
out. His concern deepened only after his conference with
McCallum, and the whole incident ripened into a dis-
charge after Dean and Hodder became involved. Indeed,
the decision to discharge and the preparation of Lamour-
eux's final check were wholly completed before the Re-
spondent allowed Lamoureux to counter the charge of
untrustworthiness. His discharge was already a fait ac-
compli. His good points, the fact that he had actually
made the inspections and was not cheating the Respond-
ent, and his explanation for the inaccurate recordings
were ignored in reaching the decision to discharge him.
The Respondent's attitude was- "Ah ha, we caught him
31 The little apparent attention which the Repondent gave this detail
obviously invited abuse.
3a "[Vlariance from the employer's 'normal employment routine'" fur-
ther supports illegal motive. McGraw-Edison Company N.L.R.B., 419
F.2d 67, 75 (8th Cir 1969)
a3 This discrimination assumes a more pronounced aspect when one
considers the reprehensible character of phony timecards which the
Board describes in Rock Tenn Company. Corrugated Division. 234 NLRB
823 (1978), "[F]alsification of the timecard amounts to dishonesty and
theft."
3' When measured in terms of need for the information to be derived
from txact start times, the offense becomes trivial
committing an infraction, he must be summarily fired
without recourse."This attitude seems strange and unex-
plainable for an employer who boasts an enlightened ap-
proach to employee problems and grievances in its hand-
book. It is obvious that the seriousness of the offense was
magnified to fit the Respondent's predetermined penalty.
When "the reasons advanced [for a discharge] are not
persuasive, the [protected activity] may well disclose the
real motive behind the employer's action." N..R.B. v.
Melrose Processing Co., 351 F.2d 693, 699 (8th Cir. 1965).
I am convinced that the Respondent's "real reason"
for discharging Lamoureux was concealed and the
reason asserted by the Respondent was false. I draw this
conclusion from the record as a whole and from the de-
meanor of the witnesses produced by the Respondent. I
do not believe that they were truthful in revealing the
"real reason" for Lamoureux's discharge. The Board has
recently said in Best Products Company, Inc., 236 NLRB
1024 (1977):
In Shattuck Denn Mining Corporation v. N.L.R.B.,
362 F.2d 466, 470 (9th Cir. 1966), the court stated
that where the trier of fact finds that an asserted
motive for discharge is false he can infer that there
is another motive. "More than that, he can infer
that the motive is one that the employer desires to
conceal-an unlawful motive-at least where the
surrounding facts tend to reinforce that inference."
In any event I conclude that the discharge of Lamour-
eux was not based on the reasons declared by the Re-
spondent, but resulted from the Respondent's desire to
discourage union activity and gratify its antiunion pur-
poses.3 5 "'It is well settled that the mere existence of a
valid ground for discharge is no defense to an unfair
labor charge if such ground was a pretext and not the
moving cause.' It must be shown, however, that the im-
proper motive-union activity-is the dominant reason
for the discharge." N.L.R.B. v. Pioneer Plastics Corpora-
tion, 379 F.2d 301, 307 (Ist Cir. 1967). "[A] business
reason cannot be used as a pretext for a discriminatory
firing." NL.R.B. v. Ayer Lar Sanitarium, 436 F.2d 45, 50
(9th Cir. 1970). The Respondent clearly used its reasons
as pretexts. It is also clear that the "dominant reason for
discharge" was Lamoureux's union activities. Cf. Berbig-
lia, Inc., 237 NLRB 102 (1978).
In consideration of this finding, I have reviewed the
decisions of the First Circuit upon which the Respondent
so heavily relies. The Respondent asserts that the Gener-
al Counsel has not met the burden of proof in such deci-
sions, specifically citing NL.R.B. v. Rich's of Plymouth,
Inc., 578 F.2d 880, 886 (Ist Cir. 1978), as follows:
Respondent having offered a legitimate business jus-
tification for its conduct, the burden shifted to the
Board to establish by substantial evidence "an af-
firmative and persuasive reason why the employer
rejected the good cause and chose a bad one,"
as In this regard, the Respondent had vigorously opposed the nion
during the 1976 and 1977 election campaigns, and no doubt by the dis-
charge of Lamoureux was preparing for the 1978 campaign
WRIGHT LINE I O7
1098 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
N.L.R.B. v. Billen Shoe Co., 397 F.2d 801, 803 (Ist
Cir. 1968). In our repeated efforts to impress this
standard upon the Board, we have variously rede-
fined it to mean that the decision would not have
been made "but for" the employee's union activity,
Coletti's Furniture, Inc. v. N.L.R.B., 550 F.2d 1292,
1293 (Ist Cir. 1977), that union animus was the
"dominant" reason, N.L.R.B. v. Lowell Sun Publish-
ing Co., 320 F.2d 835, 842 (Ist Cir. 1963), or the
"controlling" motive, N.L.R.B. v. Fibers Interna-
tional Corporation, 439 F.2d 1311, 1315 (Ist Cir.
1971). By whatever phraseology, we have attempt-
ed to make it clear that "the mere existence of anti-
union animus in not enough" to make out an 8(a)(3)
violation, N.L.R.B. v. Billen Shoe, supra, 397 F.2d at
803. [Emphasis supplied.]
In addition, I have examined the First Circuit decision
cited in the Rich's of Plymouth case, Hubbard Regional
Hospital v. N.L.R.B., 579 F.2d 1251 (1978), cited by the
Respondent, and P.S.C. Resources, Inc. v. N.L.R.B., 576
F.2d 380 (1978).36 While I am not convinced that the
Respondent has offered a legitimate business justification
for its conduct (since Lamoureux's omission could have
been easily corrected by counseling without any serious
consequence to the Respondent),
3 nevertheless, assum-
ing arguendo that a legitimate business justification was
forthcoming, I am convinced that the General Counsel
has met the First Circuit's burden. The Respondent
chose the "bad" cause because it wanted to rid itself of a
union partisan and commence to gird itself against the
probable next union election campaign. I do not think
this was Forte's idea. It originated with Forte's supervi-
sors. I consider Forte to be an honest, forthright individ-
ual who was not generally given to lying. As I watched
him testifying, this impression prevailed until he was sub-
jected to questions concerning Lamoureux's discharge.
Here, being generally a truthful man, he showed physical
signs of dissembling. One would have had to have been a
novice in this business not to have known he was cover-
ing up for his superiors. The Lamoureux incident became
a "Federal case" upon its having reached a level of su-
pervision beyond Forte where it was decided that La-
"0 In this case, the court used the language: "However, the evidence
that the reasons petitioner has offered for the discharge are 'inconsistent
with its previous practice, against its apparent interest and inconsistent
with its subsequent actions' . . sufficiently compensates for the other
weak links in respondent's case." 576 F.2d at 384. In the instant case, it
obviously was not in the Respondent's best interests to discharge a well-
trained, competent employee (who was considered a "real investment")
Moreover, for offenses involving untrustworthiness of as serious a nature,
the Respondent had not discharged employees. Indeed, there was no
showing by credible evidence that it had been the Respondent's general
practice to discharge an employee where the consequences of his offense
caused little serious detriment to the Respondent, as here, for the first of-
fense.
3' "Such action on the part of an employer is not natural. If the em-
ployer had really been disturbed by the circumstances it assigned as rea-
sons for these discharges, and had had no other circumstances in mind.
some work of admonition, some caution that the offending lapse be not
repeated, or some opportunity for correction of the objectionable prac-
tices. would be almost inevitable. The summariness oif the discharges of
these employees, admittedly theretofore satisfactory, gives rise to a doubt
as to the good faith of the assigned reasons" E Anthony & Sons, Inc.,
163 F 2d 22, 26-27 (D.C. Cir. 1947).
moureux should be discharged forthwith. Indeed, his
final check was drawn before he was allowed to state his
position. 38
The Respondent's reasons for Lamoureux's discharge
were both false and pretextual. Accordingly, I find that
the Respondent violated Section 8(a)(l) and (3) of the
Act by discharging Bernard R. Lamoureux on December
30, 1977. 3 9
CONCI USIONS OF LAW
1. The Union is a labor organization within the mean-
ing of Section 2(5) of the Act.
2. The Respondent is engaged in commerce within the
meaning of Section 2(6) and (7) of the Act and it will
effectuate the policies of the Act for jurisdiction to be
exercised herein.
3. By unlawfully discharging Bernard R. Lamoureux
on December 30, 1977, and refusing thereafter to rein-
state him, the Respondent has engaged in unfair labor
practices within the meaning of Section 8(a)(3) and (1) of
the Act.
4. The aforesaid unfair labor practices are unfair labor
practices affecting commerce within the meaning of Sec-
tion 2(6) and (7) of the Act.
THE REMEDY
It having been found that the Respondent has engaged
in certain unfair labor practices, it is recommended that
it be ordered to cease and desist therefrom and to take
certain affirmative action designed to effectuate the poli-
cies of the Act. It having been found that the Respond-
ent unlawfully discharged Bernard R. Lamoureux on
December 30, 1977, in violation of Section 8(a)(3) and
(I) of the Act, it is recommended in accordance with
Board policy that the Respondent be ordered to offer the
foregoing employee immediate and full reinstatement to
his former position or, if such position no longer exists,
to a substantially equivalent position without prejudice to
his seniority or other rights and privileges, dismissing if
necessary any employee hired on or since December 30,
1977, to fill said position, and make him whole for any
loss of earnings that he may have suffered by reason of
the Respondent's act herein detailed, by payment to him
of a sum of money equal to the amount he would have
earned from the date of his unlawful discharge to the
date of an offer of reinstatement, less net earnings during
such period, with interest thereon, to be computed on a
quarterly basis in the manner established by the Board in
38 As the court observed in United Soatei Rubber Company .
N.L.R.B., 384 F.2d 66() 662 -63 (5th Cir 167), "Perhaps most damning
is the fact that [the employee] was summarily discharged after reports of
misconduct . without being given any opportunity to explain [his
conduct] or give [his] version of the incidents'" Here Lamoureux's hear-
ing was to give an air of legitimacy to unlawful acion already taken.
3 I have considered the decision of the Massachusetts Di ision of Em-
ployment Security in which it was found that "the claimant did not falsi-
fy his daily quality control sheet as alleged hb the employer," pursuant to
the Board's decision on the subject. Duquerne Ei lectr and ManuJacturng
Company, 212 NLRB 142 (19741 However, had I not considered it. my
decision would have been the same.
WRIGHT LINE 1099
F. W. Woolworth Company, 90 NLRB 289 (1950), and
Florida Steel Corporation, 231 NLRB 651 (1977).4"
Additionally, because the Respondent's unfair labor
practices go to the very heart of the Act, a broad order
requiring the Respondent to cease and desist from in any
other manner infringing upon rights guaranteed to its
employees by Section 7 of the Act is recommended.
.Y.L.R.B. v. Entwistle Manufacturing Co., 120 F.2d 532
(4th Cir. 1941).
Upon the basis of the foregoing finding of fact, conclu-
sions of law, and the entire record in this proceeding,
and pursuant to Section 10 (c) of the Act, I hereby issue
the following recommended:
ORDER4 1
The Respondent, Wright Line, a Division of Wright
Line, Inc., Worcester, Massachusetts, its officers, agents,
successors, and assigns, shall:
I. Cease and desist from:
(a) Discouraging membership in Truck Drivers Union
Local 170, affilated with International Brotherhood of
Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of
America, or any other labor organization, by unlawfully
discharging any of its employees or discriminating
against them in any other manner with respect to their
hire or tenure of employment in violation of Section
8(a)(3) of the Act.
(b) In any other manner interfering with, restraining.
or coercing any employees in the exercise of the rights
guaranted them by Section 7 of the National Labor Rela-
tions Act, as amended, to engage in self-organization, to
bargain collectively through a representative of their
own choosing, to act together for collective bargaining
40 See. generally. Isis Plumbing Heating Co., 138 NLRB 716 (1962)
41 In the event no exceptions are filed as provided by Sec 102 46 of
the Rules and Regulations of the National Labor Relations Board. the
findings, conclusions, and recommended Order herein shall, as pros ided
in Sec 102.48 of the Rules and Regulations, he adopted by the Board and
become its findings, conclusions and Order. and all objections thereto
shall be deemed waived for all purposes
or other mutual aid or protection, or to refrain from any
and all these things.
2. Take the followng affirmative action which will ef-
fectuate the policies of the Act:
(a) Offer Bernard R. Lamoureux immediate and full
reinstatement to his former position or, if such position
no longer exists, to a substantially equivalent position.
without prejudice to his seniority or other rights and
privileges, discharging if necessary any employee hired
to replace him and make him whole for any loss of pay
that he may have suffered by reason of the Respondent's
unlawful discharge of him in accordance with the recom-
mendations set forth in the section of this Decision enti-
tled "The Remedy."
(b) Preserve and, upon request, make available to the
Board or its agents, for examination and copying, all
payroll records, social security payment records, time-
cards, personnel records and reports, and all other re-
cords necessary to analyze the amount of backpay due
under the terms of this recommended Order.
(c) Post its facility at Worcester, Massachusetts, copies
of the attached notice marked "Appendix." 4 2 Copies of
said notice, on forms provided by the Regional Director
for Region 1, after being duly signed by the Respond-
ent's representative, shall be posted by it, immediately
upon receipt thereof, for 60 consecutive days thereafter,
in conspicuous places, including all places where notices
to employees are customarily posted. Reasonable steps
shall be taken by the Respondent to insure that said no-
tices are not altered, defaced, or covered by any other
material.
(d) Notify the Regional Director for Region 1, in writ-
ing, within 20 days from the date of this Order, what
steps the Respondent has taken to comply herewith.
*2 In the event that this Order is enforced by a Judgment of a United
States Court of Appeali, the words in the notice reading "Posted by
Order of the National Labor Relations Board" shall read "Posted Pursu-
ant to a Judgment of the United States Court of Appeals Enforcing an
Order of the National Labor Relations Board"
RIGHT LINE