Rayonier, Inc.

RAYONIER, INCORPORATED ' 17 Rayonier, Incorporated and International Brotherhood of,, Elec- trical Workers, Local Union 1924, AFL, Petitioner. Cases Nos. 10-RC-3059 and 10-RC-3060. September 1,• 1955 DECISION AND ORDER Upon petitions duly filed under Section 9 (c) of the National Labor Relations Act, a hearing was held before John S. Patton, hearing officer.' The hearing officer's rulings made at the hearing are free from prejudicial error and are hereby affirmed. Upon the entire record in' these cases, the Board finds : 1. The Employer is engaged in, commerce within the meaning of the Act. .2. , The labor organization involved claims to represent certain em- ployees of the Employer. 3. No question affecting commerce exists concerning the represen'- tation of employees of the Employer within the meaning of Section '3 (c) (1) and Section 2 (6) and (7) of the Act, for the following reasons: At the Employer's pulp manufacturing plant at Fernandina Beach, Florida, the Petitioner seeks to sever an alleged craft group of instru- mentmen and a departmental group of powerhouse employees from an existing unit of production and maintenance employees currently represented since September 16, 1954, by Locals 395, 610, and 766 of International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Work- ers, AFL, the Intervenor herein. The Employer and the Intervenor oppose severance of both units. The 4 instrumentmen include a, leadman, an instrument mechanic, and 2 instrument mechanic helpers,, all of whom work in a separate work area known as the instrument department. They-install, main- tain, and repair 249 signals and approximately 2,000 pressure gauges throughout the plant. None of the pressure gauges are electrical in, operation, and only 30 percent of the signals are electrical. The powerhouse group consists of 27 employees, including 4 op- .erating engineers, 4 firemen, 4 powerplant first helpers, 5 powerplant second helpers, 4 powerplant laborers, 4 cleanup men on the conveyor,, and 2 powerplant repairmen. The powerhouse employees are engaged in the production and distribution, throughout the plant, of process. steam, process water, and electricity. Eighty-one percent of the total heat value of the steam generated in the powerhouse is used to process stock in the pulp mill, while only 19 percent is used to generate elec- tricity. It does not appear that any of the powerhouse employees per- form electrical work to any substantial degree. 1 The instant cases were consolidated for the purposes of hearing by order of the Re- gional Director . The posthearing motion of International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers, AFT,, to intervene on the basis of its current representation of the Employer's employees in' a production and maintenance unit is hereby granted. 114 NLRB No. 6. 18 DECISIONS OF, NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD The Petitioner's International currently represents the Employer's 15 electricians in a separate bargaining unit. The Petitioner contends that the instrumentmen and the power- house employees are entitled to severance as craft and departmental units, respectively. The Employer contends, inter alia,2 that the Pe- titioner does not historically or traditionally represent, in craft or departmental units, employees of the types herein sought, and that, under the doctrine of American Potash d Chemical Corporation, 107 NLRB 1418, it is therefore not entitled to the severances herein sought. We agree. As the aforementioned facts show, none of'the instrument- men or powerhouse employees herein sought engage in electrical work to any substantial degree, and by far the greater portion of the ac- tivity. of both groups is concerned with work on materials which have nothing to do with electricity or its applications. Under these circumstances, we are satisfied that the Petitioner does not meet the requirement of the Potash rules. Therefore, assuming, without de- ciding, that the Employer's instrumentmen constitute, for purposes of severance, an appropriate craft group and that its powerhouse em- ployees constitute an appropriate departmental group, we are never- theless convinced that the Petitioner does not historically and tra- ditionally represent crafts or departments of this type? Accordingly-, we shall dismiss the petitions in both cases.4 [The Board dismissed the petitions.] z In view of our decision herein, we deem it unnecessary to consider the Employer 's other unit contentions, and we deny the Employer 's motion for oral argument. 8 See Campbell Soup Company, 109 NLRB 475, 478. 4 For reasons stated in his dissenting opinion in Dow Chemical Company, Texas Divi- sion, 113 NLRB 1247, Member Murdock would not apply the "traditional union" test in this case and would therefore direct a severance election for the powerhouse employees as requested by the Petitioner. Dallas Transfer & Terminal Warehouse Company and Dallas General Drivers, Warehousemen & Helpers Local 745, Inter- national Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehouse- men & Helpers of America, AFL, Petitioner Dallas Transfer & Terminal Warehouse Company and Interna- tional Association of Machinists , Lodge 1015, AFL, Petitioner. Cases Nos. 16-RC-1655 and 16-RC-1695. September 1, 1955 DECISION AND DIRECTION OF ELECTIONS Upon separate petitions duly filed under Section 9 (c) of the Na= tional Labor Relations Act, a consolidated hearing was held , before William H. Renkel, Jr., hearing officer . The hearing officer's rulings 114 NLRB No. 7.