Voss Brothers Manufacturing Co.

In the Matter of Voss BROTHERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY and UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO AND MACHINE `YORKERS OF AMERICA, CIO Case No. 18-R-1270.-Decided June 26,1945 Mr. Ben T. Reidy, of Rock Island, Ill., and Mr William L Voss, of Dav- enport, Iowa, for-the Company. III;- Rex R. Wheelock, of Moline, Ill., for the Union Mr Samuel C Hamilton, of counsel to the Board DECISION AND ORDER STATEMENT OF THE CASE Upon a petition duly filed by United Electrical. Radio and Machine Workers of America, CIO, herein called the Union, alleging that a question affecting commerce had arisen concerning the representation of Voss Brothers Manufacturing Company. Davenport. Iowa, herein called the Company, the National Labor Relations Board provided for an appro- priate hearing upon due notice before Stanley D. Kane, Trial Examiner. Said hearing was held at Davenport, Iowa, on April 27. 1945 The Com- pany and the Union appeared and participated. All parties were afforded full opportunity to he heard, to examine and cross-examine witnesses, and to introduce evidence bearing on the issues The Trial Examiner's rulings made at the hearing are free from prejudicial error and are hereby affirmed All parties were afforded an opportunity to file briefs with the Board Upon the entire record in the case, the Board makes the following. FINDINGS OF FACT I. THE BUSINESS OF THE COMPANY Voss Brothers Manufacturing Company is an Iowa corporation with a plant, involved in this proceeding, located at Davenport, Iowa. It is there engaged in the repair of washing machines, and the manufacture of compen- sation units, detector units, and transmission assemblies for the armed forces. In peace time it is chiefly engaged in the manufacture and repair of washing machines. Ninety-five percent of its current production is for the armed forces. During the calendar year 1944 the Company's purchases of 62 N.L.R 13,No 113 915 916 DECISIONS OF NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD raw materials consisting of aluminum castings, steel and magnesium cast- ings, amounted to more than $50,000, of which approximately 75 percent came from points outside the State of Iowa. During the same period, the Company manufactured finished products of a value in excess of $50,000, of which approximately 95 percent was shipped to points outside the State. II. THE ORGANIZATION INVOLVED United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations, is a labor organization ad- mitting to membership employees of the Company. III. THE ALLEGED APPROPRIATE UNIT The Union seeks a unit comprised of machine operators in Department 2, inspectors, tool makers, and millwrights of the Davenport plant. However, the Company contends that the appropriate unit should consist of all pro- duction and maintenance employees of the plant, because its various depart- ments are so interrelated that collective bargaining on the basis of the unit sought would not be feasible. Inspectors, tool makers, and nullwrights, categories sought by the Union, work throughout the plant wherever they are called,' and perform func- tions related to the processes of all its departments. Moreover, the machine operators in Department 2 also do work which is an integral part of the plant's production operations. However, the Union fails to include the employees in the sheet metal, plating, and finishing departments, whose work is closely related to the plant's production operations, and would also exclude machine operators in Departments 1 and 7, employees who use machines of the type operated by the workers in Department 2. Thus, it is clear that the unit desired by the Union is neither well defined nor function- ally coherent. Accordingly, we find it to be inappropriate for the purpose of collective bargaining. IV. TLIE ALLEGED QUESTION CONCERNING REPRESENTATION Since, as concluded in Section III, above, the bargaining unit sought by the Union is inappropriate, we find that no question affecting commerce has arisen concerning the representation of employees of the Company, «;ithin the meaning of Section 9 (c) of the National Labor Relations Act. ORDER Upon the basis of the above findings of fact and the entire record in the case, the Board hereby orders that the petition for investigation and cer- tification of representatives of employees of Voss Brothers Manufacturing Company. Davenport. Iowa, filed by United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America, CIO, be, and it hereby is, dismissed. 1 Two inspectors , however, confine their work to Department 2