The National Supply Co.

National Labor Relations Board - Board Decisions

Oct 22, 1952

101 N.L.R.B. 73 (N.L.R.B. 1952)

THE NATIONAL SUPPLY COMPANY 73
THE NATIONAL SUPPLY COMPANY and LOCAL 4, MECHANICS EDUCA-
TIONAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, PETITIONER. Case No . 8-RC-1745.
October 22, 1952
Decision and Direction of Election
Upon a petition duly filed under Section 9 (c) of the National
Labor Relations Act, a hearing was held before Edward A. Grupp,
hearing officer. The hearing officer's rulings made at the hearing
are free from prejudicial error and are hereby affirmed.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 3 (b) of the Act, the Board
has delegated its powers in connection with this case to a three-member
panel [Chairman Herzog and Members Houston and Murdock].
Upon the entire record in this case, the Board finds :
1. The Employer is engaged in commerce within the meaning of
the Act.
2. The labor organizations involved claim to represent certain
employees of the Employer.'
3. A question affecting commerce exists concerning the representa-
tion of employees of the Employer within the meaning of Section 9
(c) (1) and Section 2 (6) and (7) of the Act.
4. The Petitioner seeks to represent the Employer's tool crib
grinders. The Intervenor contends that these employees have been
represented by it since 1940 in a production unit under collective
bargaining agreements with the Employer, and hence the unit re-
quested is inappropriate. The Employer is neutral.
Until 1947, the employees involved in this proceeding 2 had been
working in the Employer's tool crib where the Employer's tool crib
attendants worked. In 1947, the tool crib grinders were taken out
of the tool crib and placed in the Employer's toolroom, where they
now work in close proximity to the Employer's cutter grinders. Dur-
ing the entire period from 1940, the tool crib grinders and tool crib
attendants have been represented by the Intervenor as part of a
production unit, while the cutter grinders, together with tool makers
and other toolroom employees, have been represented by the Petitioner
in a toolroom unit .3
Although the Employer's cutter grinders are more skilled than its
tool crib grinders, the record indicates that the tool crib grinders are
also skilled employees and work at close tolerances . Both groups,
I International Union , United Automobile , Aircraft & Agricultural Implement Workers
of America, CIO, and Its Local No. 12, were permitted to intervene on the basis of a con-
tract interest.
2 There are at present five tool crib grinders.
$ The Petitioner also represents a separate unit of maintenance employees , which is not
involved in this proceeding.
101 NLRB No. 26.
74 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
the cutter grinders and the tool crib grinders, as well as the tool crib
attendants,4 are under the immediate supervision of a single foreman,
and under the general supervision of the methods engineer and his
assistant, who have charge of the toolroom and the Employer's
methods department.
Under all the circumstances, and particularly in view of the present
work location of the tool crib grinders and their community of
interest with the cutter grinders and the other toolroom employees,
we believe that the tool crib grinders may, if they so desire, be repre-
sented in a unit with the toolroom employees. However, as they have
been represented by the Intervenor for a number of years in its
production unit, we shall afford the tool crib grinders an opportunity
to express, in the election herein directed, whether they desire to
continue to be represented by the Intervenor in the production unit
or wish to be represented in a unit with the toolroom employees 5
We shall direct an election among all the Employer's tool crib
grinders at its Toledo, Ohio, plant, excluding all other employees
and all supervisors as defined in the Act.
If a majority of these employees vote for the Petitioner, they will
be taken to have indicated their desire to be included in the toolroom
unit now represented by the Petitioner, and the Regional Director
conducting the election herein, is instructed to issue a certificate of
results of election to that effect. If the majority of these employees
vote for the Intervenor, they will be taken to have indicated their
desire to continue to be represented in the production unit now
represented by the Intervenor, and the Regional Director will issue
a certificate of results of election to such effect.
[Text of Direction of Election omitted from publication in this
volume.]
* Although the tool crib attendants thus share common supervision with some of the
toolroom employees , they hand out tools and other materials only to the production and
maintenance employees . There is a separate tool crib that serves the toolroom , with its
own attendant.
6 General Electric Co., 97 NLRB 1246.
BRIGGS MANUFACTURING COMPANY and GARRARD C. REED, AN INDI-
VIDUAL, PETITIONER and UNITED PLANT GUARD WORKERS OF AMER-
ICA, LOCAL 114. Case No. 7-RD-125. October 22,1952
Decision and Order
Upon a petition duly filed under Section 9 (c) of the National Labor
Relations Act, a hearing was held before Emil C. Farkas, hearing
101 NLRB No. 18.