Square D. Co.

In the Matter of SQUARE D COMPANY , EMPLOYER and PRINTING PRESS- MEN & ASSISTANTS' UNION No. 2, A. F. L., AFFILIATED WITH IN- TERNATIONAL PRINTING PRESSMEN & ASSISTANTS ' UNION OF NORTH AMERICA , A. F. L., PETITIONER Case No. i-RC-64.Decided September 15, 1948 DECISION AND DIRECTION OF ELECTION 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 panel, consisting of Board Members Houston, Gray, and Reynolds.' 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 labor organization named below claims to represent em- Tloyees of the Employer. 3. A question of representation 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 following employees may constitute a unit appropriate for the purposes of collective bargaining within the meaning of Section 9 (b) of the Act: All employees at the Employer's print shop at its Detroit, Michigan, plant engaged in the operation of printing presses and type com- position, including journeymen printers and the employee engaged in bindery work,' but excluding the multilith operator in the advertising ' Board Member Reynolds is not participating. 2 The Employer would exclude from the proposed unit the employee engaged in bindery work and miscellaneous duties in the print shop. While admittedly possessing considerably less skill than the journeymen printers employed in the print shop , the bindery worker performs all of her duties in the print shop and has little in common with other production and maintenance workers of the Employer . We find that she has a sufficient community of interest with the printers to warrant hen inclusion in the proposed unit. Matter of Henry A. Walker d/ b/a Walker Letter Company, 67 N. L R. B 792 r 79 N. L. R. B , No. 95. 713 714 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD department,' the supervisor of the print shop 4 and all other super-- visors. However, we shall make no final unit determination at this. time, but shall be guided in part by the desires of these employees as expressed in the election hereinafter directed.5 If a majority vote- for the Petitioner, they will be taken to have indicated their desire to constitute a separate appropriate unit. - DIRECTION OF ELECTION As part of the investigation to ascertain representatives for the- purposes of collective bargaining with the Employer, an election by secret ballot shall be conducted as early as possible, but not later than 30 days from the date of_this Direction, under the direction and super vision of the Regional Director for the Region in which this case was heard, and subject to Sections 203.61 and 203.62 of National Labor Relations Board Rules and Regulations-Series 5, among the em- ployees described in paragraph numbered 4, above, who were em- ployed during the pay-roll period immediately preceding the date of this Direction of Election, including employees who did not work during said pay-roll period because they were ill or on vacation or temporarily laid off, but excluding those employees who have since quit or been discharged for cause and have,not been rehired or rein- stated prior to the date of the election, and also excluding employees on strike who are not entitled to reinstatement, to determine whether or not they desire to be represented, for purposes of collective bargain- ing, by Printing Pressmen & Assistants' Union No. 2, A. F. L., affili- ated with International Printing Pressmen & Assistants' Union of North America, A. F. L. 3 The Petitioner would include the multilith operator in the unit of print shop em- ployees At the time the instant petition was filed and prior to March 1948 , the bindery employee operated a multilith machine in the print shop for a few hours per day. To make fuller use of the multilith machine for advertising purposes . the machine was moved from the print shop to the advertising department and thereafter operated by an employee of that department . The present multilith operator spends all his time in the advertising department. His work requires little skill, and he is completely lacking in community of interest with the print shop employees . Accordingly, we shall exclude him from the proposed unit. 4 We shall also exclude the print shop supervisor from the proposed unit This super- visor not only directs the work of the other print shop employees . but also possesses the authority to discipline and effectively to recommend the employment and discharge of these employees He has initiated at least one discharge in the past We find that he is a supervisor within the meaning of the Act 5 In spite of a previous bargaining history of employees of the Employer on a more comprehensive basis, the hoard is not precluded from directing an election in this case among the print shop employees described herein.