The Bethlehem's Globe Publishing Co.

In the Matter of THE BETHLEHEM'S GLOBE PUBLISHING COMPANY, EM- PLOYER and INTERNATIONAL PRINTING PRESSMEN & ASSISTANTS' UNION OF NORTH AMERICA, ALLENTOWN PRESSMEN 'S UNION, LOCAL No. 376, PETITIONER Case No. 4-R,9692.-Decided December 24,1947 Messrs. H. P. McFadden and B. Ellis Service, of Bethlehem, Pa., for the Employer. Mr. William B. Carter, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Mr. Carl M. Whetherhold, of Bethlehem, Pa., for the Petitioner. DECISION AND DIRECTION OF ELECTION Upon a petition duly filed, hearing in this case was held at Bethle- hem, Pennsylvania, on August 12,1947, before Sidney Grossman, hear- ing officer. The hearing officer's rulings made at the hearing are free from prejudicial error and are hereby affirmed. Upon the entire record in the case, the National Labor Relations Board makes the following : FINDINGS OF FACT I. THE BUSINESS OF THE EMPLOYER 1 The Bethlehems' Globe Publishing Company is a Pennsylvania cor- poration engaged at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in publishing and issu- ing a daily newspaper called "The Bethlehem Globe-Times." This newspaper has a circulation of over 23,000 copies, 99 percent of which is distributed within the State and the remainder outside the State. In connection with the publication of the newspaper, the Employer annually receives newsprint, paper, and ink valued in excess of $200,000 from points outside the State. The Employer utilizes and contributes to the news services of the Associated Press and United Press; it also receives and publishes national features, comic strips, and advertise- I The name of the Employer appeals in the caption as amended at the hearing. 75 N. L. R. B., No. 76. 647 648 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD meats of nationally sold products. The Employer additionally pro- duces and ships contract printing valued in excess of $200,000 annually to points outside the State. We find that the Employer is engaged in commerce within the mean- ing of the National Labor Relations Act.2 II. THE ORGANIZATION INVOLVED The Petitioner 3 is a labor organization, claiming to represent em- ployees of the Employer. III. THE QUESTION CONCERNING REPRESENTATION The Employer refuses to recognize the Petitioner as the exclusive bargaining representative of employees of the Employer until the Petitioner has been certified by the Board in an appropriate unit. We find that a question affecting commerce has arisen concerning the representation of employees of the Employer, within the meaning of Section 9 (c) (1) and Section 2 (6) and (7) of the Act. IV. THE APPROPRIATE UNIT The Petitioner seeks a unit composed of all pressroom and stereo- type employees employed at the Employer's Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, newspaper plant, including pressmen, helpers, and apprentices, but excluding the superintendent, the assistant to the general manager in charge of production, and any other supervisor. The Employer op- poses the requested unit, on the ground that its employees should not be split into separate units for bargaining purposes. However, the Employer concedes that units similar to the requested unit have here- tofore been found appropriate by the Board, and states that, in the event the Board rejects its unit contention, it agrees with the specific composition of the unit. The Employer's plant consists of two adjoining buildings. One building houses the editorial, advertising, business, and general em- ployees. The other building, called the Mechanical Building, houses the printing machinery and all the employees necessary to print the Employer's daily newspaper : specifically, the composing department employees, and the pressroom and stereotype employees. The composing department prepares the editorial copy, advertising matter, and miscellaneous items in such form that it may be passed on 2 Matter of Bethlehems ' Globe Publishing Company, 74 N L. R B 392, and cases cited therein 3 The name of the Petitioner appears in the caption as amended at the hearing THE BETHLEHEMS' GLOBE PUBLISHING COMPANY 649 to the press and stereotype department for printing. The latter de- partment consisting of about eight employees, prepares matrices of the pages on forms supplied by the composing room, stereotypes them, and prints the newspaper. It appears that the same individuals do both press and stereotype work. These employees, who have not previously been represented by a labor organization, serve a 5-year apprenticeship period,4 receive the established wage rate for journey- men, and are not interchanged with employees from any other de- partment in the Employer's plant. Although the Employer contended at the hearing that its ' em- ployees should not be split into separate units for bargaining purposes, it offered no evidence in its behalf to support this position. We note that the Board has, on two occasions, found separate departments of the Employer's plant to be appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining .6 In view of the above facts, and inasmuch as the re- quested unit constitutes a traditionally separate craft group,6 we- are of the opinion that the employees involved may presently function as a separate unit for the purposes of collective bargaining. We therefore find that all pressroom and stereotype employees em- ployed at the Employer's Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, newspaper plant, including pressmen, helpers, and apprentices, but excluding the super- intendent, the assistant to the general manager in charge of production, any other supervisors,? and any guards or professional employees, as defined in the Act, constitute a unit appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining, within the meaning of Section 9 (b) of the, Act. DIRECTION OF ELECTION As part of the investigation to ascertain representatives for the purposes of collective bargaining with The Bethlehems' Globe Pub- lishing Company, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, an election by secret ballot shall be conducted as early as possible, but not later than thirty (30) days from the date of this Direction, under the direction and supervision of the Regional Director for the Fourth Region, subject to Sections 203.61 and 203.62, of National Labor Relations Board 4 Of the eight employees, three are still apprentices ' Matter of Bethlehem Globe Publishing Co , 47 N. L. R. B , 268, wherein a unit of com- posing-room employees was found to he appropriate and Matter of Bethlehems' Globe Publishing Company, 74 N L B B 392, wherein a combined unit of the Employer's adver- tising department and business office was also iouud to be appropiiate 0 Matter of Lloyd Hollister, Inc, 68 N L B B 733 . Atatter of Gillette Safety Razor Company, 65 N L R B 1286 Matter of 117 F hall Printing Company, 6; N L R B 5532; Matter of R R Donnelly cf Sons Company, 59 N L It B 122 4 Included in the unit b} agreement of the parties is Lewis Hagadus, who previously was designated as a working foreman, but who does not presenti3 exeicise supervisory authority. 1650 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD Rules and Regulations-Series 5, among the employees in the unit found appropriate in Section IV, above, who were employed during the pay-roll period immediately preceding the date of this Direction, including employees who did not work during said pay-roll period because they were ill or on vacation or temporarily laid off, but ex- -eluding those employees who have since quit or been discharged for cause and have not been rehired or reinstated prior to the date of the election, to determine whether or not they desire to be represented by International Printing Pressmen & Assistants' Union of North America, Allentown Pressmen's Union, Local No. 376, for the pur- poses of collective bargaining.