Sound Lumber Co.

In the Matter Of SOUND LUMBER COMPANY, EMPLOYER and OPERATING ENGINEERS , LOCAL UNION No. 3 OF THE INTERNATIONAL UNION OF `OPERATING ENGINEERS, AFL, PETITIONER and LUMBER AND SAWMILL WORKERS LOCAL 2726, AFL, INTERVENOR Case No. 20-RC-fit.Decided August 27, 1948 DECISION AND ORDER Upon a petition duly filed, a hearing was held before a hearing officer of the National Labor Relations Board. 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 National Labor Relations Act, the Board has delegated its powers in connection with this case to a three-man panel consisting of Members Houston, Mur- dock, and Gray., Upon the entire record in this case, the Board finds : 1. The Employer is engaged in commerce within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act. 2. The Petitioner and the Intervenor are labor organizations claim- ing to represent employees of the Employer. 3. Upon the entire record in this case, the Board finds that no ques- tion exists concerning the.representation of employees of the Em- ployer, within the meaning of Section 9 (c) (1) and- Section 2'(6) and (7) of the Act, for the following reasons : The Petitioner seeks a unit comprising one crane operator, two Ross Carrier operators, and two fork lift operators. The Intervenor contends that these employees should continue to be included in the production and maintenance unit which the Intervenor has repre- sented since August 1947. The Employer took no position as to the appropriateness of the proposed unit at the hearing, but, in a brief filed after the hearing, took the same position as the Intervenor. i Board Member Gray is not participating. 79 N L. R B., No. 29: 207 208 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD The employees whom the Petitioner seeks to represent are the only ones at the mill engaged in work involving mobile equipment. The crane operator, who is the third highest paid employee in the mill, is chiefly engaged in putting the logs to be used into the pond or taking them out and decking them for future use. He occasionally performs construction work, and moves lumber to be reworked from the green chain to the mill. He works only with his crane, and required 2 years' experience to become a fully qualified crane operator. There is no apprenticeship or training program for crane operators at the Em- ployer's mill. Carrier operators are engaged in moving lumber from the sawmill to the planing mill, to storage areas, or to the loading areas. Fork lift operators work with equipment that stacks lumber. All these opera- tors are familiar with lumber and the appropriate manner and place for storing different grades. They are selected from employees al- ready working at the mill who have expressed an interest in learning this kind of work. About 6 months' training is required for em- ployees to qualify for this work. They are paid a slightly higher rate than the average mill employee. About 15 percent of the time of these operators is spent in helping around the mill in some capacity other than as operators. In support of its position, the Petitioner argues that the operation of moving lumber and logs is plainly distinct from any other operation at the mill, and may take place at times when other operations of the mill are closed down. The work of the entire mill is highly integrated, however, and the operations of the group sought by the Petitioner are closely related to the other operations at the mill. In view of the integrated nature of the work, and in view of the fact that the proposed unit is not made up of skilled craftsmen, we shall not sever the employees in question from the production and maintenance unit in which they have been included. We shall, therefore, dismiss the petition. ORDER - IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the petition herein be, and it hereby is, dismissed.