# Opposition — Al Bryant, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board

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## Record

- **Collection:** Supreme Court brief
- **Document type:** Opposition
- **Published:** January 1, 1984
- **Citation:** 464 U.S. 1039

## Text

Office - Supreme Court, U.S.
FILED

No. 83-446 DEC 12 19863

ALEXANDER L. STEVAS,
In the Supreme Court of the Hnited Statee* —_

OcTOBER TERM, 1983

AL BRYANT, INC., ET AL., PETITIONERS
Vv.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

ON PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO
THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR
THE THIRD CIRCUIT

BRIEF FOR THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS
BOARD IN OPPOSITION

Rex E. Lee
Solicitor General
Department of Justice
Washington, D.C. 20530
(202) 633-2217

WILLIAM A. LUBBERS
General Counsel

JouHN E. HiGoins, Jr.

Deputy General Counsel
ROBERT E. ALLEN

Associate General Counsel
NoRTON J. COME

Deputy Associate General Counsel
LINDA SHER

Assistant General Counsel
Ropert C. BELL, Jr.

Attorney

National Labor Relations Board
Washington, D.C. 20570

QUESTIONS PRESENTED

1. Whether the NLRB correctly found that the unions’
unfair labor practice charges were filed within the six-
month limitations period imposed by Section !0(b) of the
National Labor Relations Act.

2. Whether the NLRB properly exercised its discretion
in refusing to defer to an arbitration decision that did not
consider or decide the unfair labor practice issue presented
to the Board.

(I)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Opinions below .....cccsccccccccsvcscccccsccsecs |
PTT ee l
UNE. occ ccc ccccccvccessvcntsvenvvdveweuneen l
ATGOMIOM 2c ccccccrccccvecccetescccvesecesovenss 7
I a iinicss i vdnice cd ectdsankeose eee ola
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Cases:
Carey v. Westinghouse Electric Corp.,
FIO WA. BOE. hecccdsanvereowsebatupasen 10-11
Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. v. NLRB,
se | rrr errriy rr ri ry owt
Cone Mills Corp. v. NLRB, 413 F.2d 445 ....... 8
General Motors Acceptance Corp. v. NLRB.
476 F.28 GSO occ cc eveeeves eg REETN sos veces 8
Hammermill Paper Co. v. NLRB, 658 F.2d
155, cert. denied, No. 81-1438 (Apr. 18,
PORES © civcncnnncsénesdadee, dankaunkensnes 12
J. Ray McDermott & Co. v. NLRB, 571 F.2d
850, cert. denied, 439 U.S. 893 ........ee evens 8
Local 1104, Communications Workers v. NLRB,
520 F.2d 411, cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1051 ...... 9

Local Lodge No. 1424, International Association
of Machinists v. NLRB, 362 U.S. 411,
cert. denied, No. 81-1438 (Apr. 18, 1983) .... 7,8

Mack Trucks, Inc., 230 N.L.R.B. 993, enforced,
573 F.2d 1302, cert. denied, 439 U.S. 825 ... 9-10

(IIT)

IV

Cases-—Continued:
NLRB v. Acme Industrial Co., 385 U.S.

GOR, eicinccvecccccrensecccevcesicceseens

NLRB vy. Basic Wire Products, Inc.,

DEE cctvceacnaaesesebeeneckweus
NLRB v. Erie Marine, Inc., 465 F.2d 104 ....
NLRB vy. Field & Sons, Inc., 462 F.2d 748 ...

NLRB vy. General Warehouse Corp.,

by | . Perr ererrerrr rr rerer raat

NLRB vy. Los Angeles Yuma Freight Lines,

STE SEE ccccnuacscdenvevenvssaveees

NLRB vy. McCready & Sons, Inc.,

PE AMEDD ve vececccceccesdevesesevens

NLRB vy. Plumbers & Pipe Fitters Local

Se cae A Le ON 6 6p 00 0806 0.00 0.0.0:
NLRB vy. Serv-All Co., 491 F.2d 1273 .......
NLRB v. Strong, 393 U.S. 357 ...cccccscoes

Radio & Television Broadcast Technicians
Local Union 1264 v. Broadcast Service of

Mobile, Inc., 380 U.S. 255 .......cccceees

Raytheon Co., 140 N.L.R.B. 883, enforcement

GUNG, SEO PARE STE nw ccc cccctccccvecee

Spielberg Manufacturing Co., 112 N.L.R.B.

POO Sceerwececccesccesctccuasevevecesi

HE SOCRO sco es eset srocescosaceseesads

United Parcel Service, Inc. v. NLRB,
706 F.2d 972, cert. denied, No. 83-71

nC + 6h 6 rckks sired abdanemmete

Page

Page
Statutes:
National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.
(& Supp. V) 151 ef seq. :

§ 8(a)(1), 29 U.S.C. 158(a)(1) . 0. eee ee eee eee 2
§ 3(a)(5), 29 U.S.C. 1S8(a)(5) .... ce ceeceees 2
6 Of), 29 U.S.C. ISO) .cccccceccovcccees 10
§ 10(a), 29 U.S.C. 160(a) 2... .cccccccvcees 10
§ 10(b), 29 U.S.C. 160(b) ..... 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Miscellaneous:
H.R. Rep. 245, 80th Cong., Ist Sess. (1947) ...... 7

Jn the Supreme Court of the Hnited States

OCTOBER TERM, 1983

No. 83-446
AL BRYANT, INC., ET AL., PETITIONERS
Vv.

NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

ON PETITION FOR A WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO
THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR
THE THIRD CIRCUIT

BRIEF FOR THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS
BOARD IN OPPOSITION

OPINIONS BELOW
The opinion of the court of appeals (Pet. App. Al-A26) is
reported at 711 F.2d 543. The decision and order of the
National Labor Relations Board (Pet. App. A27-A114),
including the attached decision of the administrative law
judge, is reported at 260 N.L.R.B. 128.

JURISDICTION
The judgment of the court of appeals (Pet. App. Al15-
A116) was entered on July 25, 1983. The petition for a writ
of certiorari was filed on September 14, 1983. The jurisdic-
tion of this Court is invoked under 28 U.S.C. 1254(1).

STATEMENT

Petitioners Al Bryant, Inc. (ABI), Harrisburg Drywall
and Construction Corp. (Harrisburg Drywall), and Al Bry-
ant Associates, Inc. (Associates) are contractors engaged in

(1)

2

the construction of ceilings, floors and drywall. The National
Labor Relations Board found that ABI and Harrisburg
Drywall constitute a single employer under the National
Labor Relations Act, that Associates is the alter ego and a
disguised continuance of ABI and Harrisburg Drywall, and
that the companies’ employees together constitute an
appropriate bargaining unit (Pet. App. A29, A106-A107).
The Board found that the companies violated Section
8(a)(5) and (1) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 158(a)(5) and (1), by
refusing to recognize the charging unions as the exclusive
bargaining representatives of Harrisburg Drywall and
Associates employees and by refusing to apply the terms of
agreements between the unions and ABI to the other two
companies (Pet. App. A106-A108). The court of appeals
affirmed (id. at Al-A26). Petitioners do not contest these
findings, but rather challenge only the timeliness of the
unfair labor practice charges involved and the Board's re-
fusal to defer to an arbitration award in making its “single
employer” finding.

1. ABI was formed by Albert Bryant in 1967. ABI is a
member of the Central Pennsylvania Subcontractors Asso-
ciation (CPSA), which conducts labor negotiations on
behalf of its members and which has negotiated agreements
with both charging unions, the United Brotherhood of Car-
penters District Council of Western Pennsylvania (West-
ern) and Keystone District Council (Keystone). ABI has
been bound by these agreements with the unions since 1974
(Pet. App. A49-A51).! Keystone and Western operate in
different geographic areas.

In 1971, Bryant acquired ownership of Harrisburg Dry-
wall. Harrisburg Drywall at no time signed any agreement
with either union. Harrisburg Drywall engaged in the same

'ABI signed a separate agreement with the International Carpenters
Union in 1972 (Pet. App. A46).

3

construction activity as ABI but functioned as the nonun-
ion component of a “double breasted” operation with ABI
(Pet. App. A49).

Beginning in 1977, Keystone began to receive complaints
from carpenters employed by Harrisburg Drywall in Key-
stone’s jurisdiction that they were being paid less than union
scale. On March 19, 1979, Keystone sent ABI a letter assert-
ing that Harrisburg Drywall was related to ABI and that
Harrisburg Drywall was covered by the collective bargain-
ing agreement between CPSA and Keystone. Harrisburg
Drywall continued to operate on a nonunion basis. There-
after, Keystone initiated grievance and arbitration proceed-
ings against ABI seeking to bind Harrisburg Drywall to the
terms of the contract (Pet. App. Al2-A13, A51).

Keystone contended in arbitration that Harrisburg Dry-
wall, as a subsidiary of ABI, was bound by the CPSA
agreement as a matter of contract and also as a matter of
federal labor law because the two companies constituted a
single employer under the Act. The arbitrator expressly
declined to resolve the statutory issue and ruled that Har-
risburg Drywall was not a subsidiary under the contract
(Pet. App. A88-A90; see C.A. App. 777-780).? He therefore

?2The arbitrator stated (C.A. App. 777, 779-780; see Pet. App. A88):

The Union in effect argues that Al Bryant, Inc. * * * established
a subsidiary, Harrisburg Drywali and Construction Corporation;
and that it has violated these Agreements in not requiring the
subsidiary to comply with their terms * * *. Furthermore, the
Union contends that, under rulings of the National Labor Rela-
tions Board, these two companies should be regarded as a “single
employer” for purposes of the National Labor Relations Act* * *
and that under the NLRB's Collyer deferral policy “the Arbitrator
should rule on the statutory issue as well as the contractual one.”

[T]he basic question before the Arbitrator is whether Harrisburg
Drywall is a “subsidiary” or “subsidiary building construction

4

denied Keystone’s grievance on October 29, 1979. On
August 10, 1979, while the arbitration was pending, Key-
stone filed unfair labor practice charges against ABI and
Harrisburg Drywall! for “hiring non-Union employees in
contravention of its obligation under the collective bargain-
ing agreement” and for “having a non-Union subsidiary and
refusing to recognize the Union as a representative of the
employees employed by Harrisburg Drywall” (Pet. App.
A6, A52).3

As found by the administrative law judge (ALJ), Western
learned in January 1979 that Harrisburg Drywall had been
awarded a contract in its jurisdiction for work on the Polk
Center. A Western business representative telephoned Mr.
Al Bryant and was informed that Harrisburg Drywall
intended to perform the contract on a nonunion basis,
notwithstanding Western's assertion that the job was
covered by the CPSA. In May 1979 Bryant spoke with
another Western official, who again asserted that the job
should be performed under the union contract. Bryant
responded, “I'll get back to you,” but did not do so. Harris-
burg Drywall began work on the Polk Center in June 1979
and performed the job on a nonunion basis. Pet. App.
A55-A56. Western filed an unfair labor practice charge on
October 3, 1979, alleging that ABI “d/b/a Harrisburg
Drywall” had “{s]ince.on or about June |, 1979, and at all

company” of Al Bryant, Inc. under * * * the Agreement. * * * In
the Arbitrator’s view, his role is limited to interpreting these terms
of the Agreement, and it does not extend to enforcing the provi-
sions of the Labor Management Relations Act.

3Petitioner Associates was not formed until 1979. Keystone filed an
amended unfair labor practice charge on October 6, 1980, charging
Associates and the other two companies with a refusal to bargain in
good faith with Keystone (Pet. App. A6, A52-A53). Petitioners chal-
lenge the timeliness only of Keystone’s initial charge against ABI and
Harrisburg Drywall.

5

times thereafter, * * * failed and refused to bargain collec-
tively and in good faith with [Western]” (Pet. App. Aé6).

2. a. The Board, substantially adopting the findings and
conclusions of the ALJ, found that the charges of both
unions were timely filed. With respect to the Western charge
filed on October 3, 1979, the Board found that the six-
month limitation period of Section 10(b) of the Act, 29
U.S.C. 160(b),4 commenced when Harrisburg Drywall
began work on the Polk Center in June 1979, not in January
1977 when Western learned of Bryant's intention not to
abide by the CPSA contract (Pet. App. A57). With respect
to the Keystone charge of August 10, 1979, the Board found
that ABI’s failure properly to respond to the union’s March
19, 1979 letter constituted a refusal to bargain that com-
menced the Section 10(b) period, although Keystone had
been aware of Harrisburg Drywall’s nonunion operations
in its jurisdiction for more than six months before the
charge was filed (Pet. App. A57-A61).

b. The Board also determined that petitioners consti-
tuted a single employer under the Act. In this connection,
the Board refused to defer to the arbitrator’s finding that
Harrisburg Drywall was not an ABI “subsidiary” under the
contract. The Board explained (Pet. App. A29-A30 n.2):

We agree with the Administrative Law Judge that
deferral to the arbitrator's award which was intro-
duced into evidence is inappropriate in the instant case.
In so doing, we find that the arbitrator expressly
declined to resolve the statutory issue before us. Thus,
in his decision the arbitrator expressly stated that the
“basic question before the Arbitrator is whether

‘Section 10(b) provides that “no complaint shall issue based upon any
unfair labor practice occurring more than six months prior to the filing
of the charge with the Board.”

6

Harrisburg Drywall is a ‘subsidiary’ or ‘subsidiary
building construction company’ of Al Bryant Inc... .”
within the intendment of the contract. He specifically
stated that his role was limited to interpreting the terms
of the agreement and did “not extend to enforcing the
provisions of the Labor Management Relations Act.”
The arbitrator then found that the NLRB and court
cases cited to him by the Union were not enlightening
as to the definition of a “subsidiary” and thus he relied
on dictionary definitions. Based on the tenor of the
arbitrator's entire decision, it is clear he did not con-
sider the statutory issue. It is also clear that the arbitra-
tor did not have the same evidence before him as in the
instant case.

3. The court of appeals affirmed (Pet. App. Al-A26).
The court found that the Board’s conclusion that the
charges were timely filed was “consistent with well-
established legal principles” and with the policies underly-
ing Section 10(b) (Pet. App. A7-A12).

With respect to the Board’s refusal to defer, the court of
appeals explained (Pet. App. A15):

The requirement that the statutory issues have been
presented to and decided by the arbitrator is of particu-
lar significance to insure that the Board does not abdi-
cate its responsibility to protect statutory rights. * * *
The Board recently reaffirmed it would not defer
“unless the unfair labor practice issue before the Board
was both presented to and considered by the arbitra-
tor.” Suburban Motor Freight, Inc., 247 N.L.R.B. 146,
146-47 (1980). Given the arbitrator's explicit statement
that he was not resolving the statutory issue, and the
fact that he did not have all the relevant evidence
before him, we cannot hold that the Board abused its
discretion in refusing to defer to the arbitral award.

7

ARGUMENT

1. Petitioners contend (Pet. 9-20) that the unfair labor
practice charges were not timely filed. They contend that
the unfair labor practice against Western occurred when
Bryant stated his intention in January 1979 not to adhere to
the CPSA contract on the Polk Center job. They further
contend that any unfair labor practice affecting Keystone
occurred when Harrisburg Drywall began operating in its
area in 1977, and that the refusal to respond to the union's
March 19, 1979 letter was not an independent violation.
These contentions were correctly rejected by the Board and
the court below and raise no issue warranting review by this
Court.

a. The Board’s position that Keystone’s March 19, 1979
letter triggered the limitations period is consistent with this
Court's decision in Local Lodge No. 1424, International
Association of Machinists v. NLRB (Bryan Manufactur-
ing Co.), 362 U.S. 411 (1960), and every court of appeals
decision that has considered the effect of Section 10(b). In
Bryan Manufacturing Co., the Court described the policy
underlying Section 10(b) as intended “to bar litigation over
past events’ after records have been destroyed, witnesses
have gone elsewhere, and recollections of the events in
question have become dim and confused * * *.’ "362 U.S.
at 419 (quoting H.R. Rep. 245, 80th Cong., Ist Sess. 40
(1947)). The Court held that Section 10(b) bars a charge
grounded on events predating the limitations period “where
conduct occurring within the limitations period can be
charged to be an unfair labor practice only through reliance
on an earlier unfair labor practice” (362 U.S. at 416-417).
Section 10(b) does not bar a charge where conduct within
the period constitutes an unfair labor practice in and of
itself, even though related events predate the limitations
period (id. at 416).

8

In Bryan Manufacturing Co., the only act within the
Section 10(b) period was the enforcement of a union secu-
rity agreement valid on its face. This activity, by itself, was
benign and could be impeached only by resorting to an
event outside the limitations period — i.e., by showing that
the union lacked majority status when it entered into the
agreement. The Court therefore held that the complaint was
barred. Here, by contrast, petitioners’ refusal to bargain
after March 19, 1979 was unlawful in itself without refer-
ence to the illegality of prior events.

Because an employer's general duty to bargain is a con-
tinuing obligation, each refusal constitutes a separate and
independent unfair labor practice. J. Ray McDermott &
Co. v. NLRB, 571 F.2d 850, 858 (Sth Cir.), cert. denied, 439
U.S. 893 (1978); NLRB v. Basic Wire Products, Inc., 516
F.2d 261, 267-268 (6th Cir. 1975). Based on the interrela-
tionship of the companies at the time of -he March 19
demand and their obligation to apply the contract at that
time, the March 19 refusal may be found to violate the Act
without regard to any prior refusals to bargain. In such
circumstances, the courts have uniformly held that Section
10(b) is no bar to an unfair labor practice finding.‘

‘See, e.g., Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. v. NLRB, 687
F.2d 633, 637-638 (2d Cir. 1982) (employer refusals to produce informa-
tion related to grievance proceeding); J. Ray McDermott & Co. v.
NLRB, supra (repeated refusals to bargain); NLRB v. Basic Wire
Products, Inc., supra (repeated refusals to bargain); General Motors
Acceptance Corp. v. NLRB, 476 F.2d 850, 853-854 (ist Cir. 1973)
(employer campaign to discredit union involving conduct over a two-
year period); NLRB v. Erie Marine, Inc., 465 F.2d 104, 107-108 (3d
Cir. 1972) (employer domination of joint employee-employer commit-
tee over a period of three years); Cone Mills Corp. v. NLRB, 413 F.2d
445, 448-449 (4th Cir. 1969) (employer refusals to provide information
concerning pension plan); see also NLRB v. Los Angeles Yuma Freight
Lines, 446 F.2d 210, 215 (9th Cir. 1971) (employer refusal to bargain,
after union makes renewed request within the limitations period, would
constitute independent violation).

9

The cases cited by petitioner (Pet. 19)(NLRB v. Serv-All
Co., 491 F.2d 1273 (10th Cir. 1974); NLRB v. McCready &
Sons, Inc., 482 F.2d 872 (6th Cir. 1973); NLRB v. Field &
Sons, Inc., 462 F.2d 748 (ist Cir. 1972)) are not to the
contrary. Those cases involve an employer's refusal to ex-
ecute within the Section 10(b) period an individual union
contract following negotiation of a multiemployer agree-
ment that predated the period. The refusal to sign, standing
alone, is not an unfair labor practice; it can be found to be
one only by reference to events surrounding the multiem-
ployer negotiations (i.e., whether the employer was a
member of the multiemployer unit and was bound by the
negotiations). Indeed, the court in Field & Sons expressly
distinguished that case (“a failure to perform a particular
act”) from the situation presented here, involving an
employer's repeated breach of the general duty to bargain,
where the violation can be determined based on the status of
the employer within the limitations period. See 462 F.2d at
751; see also Pet. App. A12.°

b. The Board's conciusion that the Western charge was
timely is consistent with the well-established principle that a
statement of intent to commit an unfair labor practice does
not start the Section 10(b) period running. The limitations
period begins only when the unfair labor practice occurs.
NLRB vy. Plumbers & Pipe Fitters Local Union 214, 298
F.2d 427, 428 (7th Cir. 1962); see also Local 1104, Commun-
ications Workers v. NLRB, 520 F.2d 411, 416 (2d Cir.
1975), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 1051 (1976); Mack Trucks,
Inc., 230 N.L.R.B. 993, 1000 (1977), enforced, 573 F.2d

*There is no merit to petitioner's contention (Pet. 18) that the decision
below effectively eliminates Section 10(b) and opens the door to large
backpay awards stretching far back in time. To the contrary, the remedy
is limited to six months before filing of the charge. See Pet. App. Al2
n.4.

10

1302 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 825 (1978). The viola-
tion here occurred when Harrisburg Drywall violated the
CPSA contract by beginning the Polk Center job in June
1979, not when Mr. Bryant merely stated his intention in
January to perform the job on a nonunion basis.

Moreover, contrary to petitioners’ contention (Pet. 14-
15), even if Mr. Bryant’s statement to Western in January
were itself a violation of the Act, Section 10(b) would not
bar a charge based on the subsequent refusal to apply the
contract at Polk Center in June. Under the principles dis-
cussed above, the refusal to apply the contract in June 1979
was an independent and complete violation notwithstand-
ing conduct that might have occurred earlier.’

2. Petitioners contend that the Board erred in refusing to
defer to the arbitrator’s finding that Harrisburg Drywall
was not a “subsidiary” under the ABI contract. They con-
tend that this finding was a “complete defense” to Key-
stone’s unfair labor practice charge (Pet. 22). This conten-
tion does not warrant review by this Court.

Section 10(a) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 160(a), vests the
Board with exclusive authority to adjudicate and remedy
unfair labor practices. See NLRB v. Acme Industrial Co.,
385 U.S. 432, 436-437 (1967). Although the Board may in its
discretion elect to defer to arbitral processes, it is not com-
pelled to do so when an unfair labor practice has been
committed. See NLRB v. Strong, 393 U.S. 357, 360-362
(1969). When the Board does assert jurisdiction, its unfair
labor practice decision takes precedence over arbitral
awards that enforce private contract rights. See Carey

7Petitioners’ reference (Pet. 11-15) to Section 8(f) of the Act, 29
U.S.C. 158(f), governing pre-hire agreements is wholly irrelevant. There
is no question here of the majority status of the unions, and the ALJ
explicitly found that Section 8(f) was not applicable (Pet. App. A74
n.33).

v. Westinghouse Electric Corp., 375 U.S. 261, 272 (1964). In
exercising its discretion, the Board has determined to defer
to an arbitration decision only if (1) the arbitrator’s decision
is not clearly repugnant to the purposes and policies of the
Act; (2) the arbitration procedures are fair and regular; (3)
the parties have previously agreed to be bound by the
arbitrator’s decision; and (4) the arbitrator has considered
and decided the unfair labor practice issue presented to the
Board. Spielberg Manufacturing Co., 112 N.L.R.B. 1080,
1082 (1955); Raytheon Co., 140 N.L.R.B. 883, 884-885
(1963), enforcement denied on other grounds, 326 F.2d 471
(Ist Cir. ‘°*

Asp .eu above (page 3, supra), the Keystone grievance
argued oth that Harrisburg Drywall was a subsidiary of
ABI as a matter of contract and that the two companies
constituted a “single employer” under the Act. The arbitra-
tor expressly declined to decide the statutory question
whether the connection between the companies supported a
finding of an unfair labor practice, explaining that the
question before him was whether Harrisburg Drywall was a
subsidiary under the contract. He specifically stated that his
role was “limited to interpreting [the contract terms], and it
does not extend to enforcing the provisions of the Labor
Management Relations Act” (Pet. App. A88; C.A. App.
779-780).

The arbitrator relied on two dictionary definitions of
“subsidiary” in deciding the contractual question.* That
inquiry differs substantially from the statutory single

8The arbitrator stated (Pet. App. A89; C.A. App. 780):

Here, the parties have not defined what should be considered to
be a “subsidiary.” Webster's New World Dictionary (College
Edition) defines a “subsidiary” in part as:

a company controlled by another company which owns
most of its shares...

12

employer question, in which the Board examines the evi-
dence as to interrelation of operations, common manage-
ment, centralized control of labor relations, and common
ownership. See Radio & Television Broadcast Technicians
Local Union 1264 v. Broadcast Service of Mobile, Inc., 380
U.S. 255, 256 (1965). Moreover, as the Board noted, the
arbitrator did not have before him all the evidence relevant
to the statutory question (Pet. App. A29-A30 n.2).9

The Board reasonably may decline to defer where, as
here, the unfair labor practice and contract claims pose
substantially different issues and the arbitrator does not
reach the statutory claim. Hammermill Paper Co. v.
NLRB, 658 F.2d 155, 161 (3d Cir. 1981), cert. denied, No.
81-1438 (Apr. 18, 1983); Suburban Motor Freight, Inc., 247
N.L.R.B. 146, 146-147 (1980). Also, the Board may reason-
ably decline to defer where, as here, the arbitrator has not
considered “all the facts required to decide [the statutory
issue].” NLRB v. General Warehouse Corp., 643 F.2d 965,
969 (3d Cir. 1981) (footnote omitted). See also United Par-
cel Service, Inc. v. NLRB, 706 F.2d 972 (3d Cir. 1983), cert.
denied, No. 83-71 (Nov. 7, 1983).

Black’s Law Dictionary, Fourth Edition (revised) 1968 states:

Subsidiary Corporation. One in which another corporation
owns at least a majority of the shares and thus has control

*For example, the arbitrator did not have the employment rosters of
Harrisburg Drywall or any information that Mr. Bryant signed bids for
Harrisburg Drywall (Pet. App. A30 n.2). This information was availa-
ble to the Board (ibid.).

13

CONCLUSION
The petition for a writ of certiorari should be denied.

Respectfully submitted.

Rex E. Lee
Solicitor General

WILLIAM A. LUBBERS
General Counsel

JOHN E. HIGGINS, JR.
Deputy General Counsel

ROBERT E. ALLEN
Associate General Counsel

NorRTON J. COME
Deputy Associate General Counsel

LINDA SHER
Assistant Generai Counsel

RosertT C. BELL, JR.
Attorney
National Labor Relations Board

DECEMBER 1983

DOJ-1983-12

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