[ v08 p283 ]
08:0283(67)RO
The decision of the Authority follows:
8 FLRA No. 67 U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION, NEW YORK OFFICE Activity and AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 2211, AFL-CIO Petitioner Case No. 2-RO-33 DECISION AND ORDER UPON A PETITION DULY FILED WITH THE FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY UNDER SECTION 7111(B)(1) OF THE FEDERAL SERVICE LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS STATUTE (THE STATUTE), A HEARING WAS HELD BEFORE A HEARING OFFICER OF THE AUTHORITY. THE AUTHORITY HAS REVIEWED THE HEARING OFFICER'S RULINGS MADE AT THE HEARING AND FINDS THAT THEY ARE FREE FROM PREJUDICIAL ERROR. THE RULINGS ARE HEREBY AFFIRMED. UPON THE ENTIRE RECORD IN THE SUBJECT CASE, INCLUDING BRIEFS SUBMITTED BY THE PETITIONER AND THE ACTIVITY, THE AUTHORITY FINDS: THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 2211, AFL-CIO (AFGE), FILED A PETITION SEEKING AN ELECTION IN A UNIT OF EMPLOYEES, DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: INCLUDED: ALL PROFESSIONAL AND NON-PROFESSIONAL GENERAL SCHEDULE EMPLOYEES OF THE U.S. INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION IN THE NEW YORK OFFICE. EXCLUDED: MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS, SUPERVISORS, EMPLOYEES ENGAGED IN FEDERAL PERSONNEL WORK IN OTHER THAN A PURELY CLERICAL CAPACITY, AND EMPLOYEES OF THE GRAPHICS SECTION. /1/ THE PETITIONER CONTENDS, IN EFFECT, THAT THE PETITIONED FOR UNIT IS RESIDUAL AND REQUESTED AT THE HEARING THAT THE EMPLOYEES BE INCLUDED IN IN ITS EXISTING EXCLUSIVELY RECOGNIZED UNIT IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION (COMMISSION), FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE U.S. TARIFF COMMISSION, IS CHARGED WITH THE MISSION OF SERVING THE PRESIDENT, CONGRESS AND THE PUBLIC IN MATTERS OF COMPLAINTS OF INJURY DEALING WITH IMPORTS. FOR APPROXIMATELY TWENTY YEARS THE COMMISSION HAS MAINTAINED THE ACTIVITY AS ITS FIELD OFFICE IN NEW YORK CITY, AND AT THE TIME OF THE HEARING THE ACTIVITY WAS THE ONLY OFFICE MAINTAINED BY THE COMMISSION OUTSIDE OF ITS WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS OFFICE. SINCE NOVEMBER 18, 1970, THE PETITIONER HAS REPRESENTED THE PROFESSIONAL AND NONPROFESSIONAL HEADQUARTERS GENERAL SCHEDULE EMPLOYEES OF THE AGENCY LOCATED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THE RECORD DISCLOSES THAT THE PETITIONER AND THE AGENCY ARE PARTIES TO A COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT COVERING EMPLOYEES IN THIS UNIT WHICH BECAME EFFECTIVE ON NOVEMBER 2, 1979. /2/ AT THE TIME OF FILING, THE PETITIONED FOR EMPLOYEES CONSTITUTED A RESIDUAL UNIT COMPRISED OF ALL THE ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES OF THE AGENCY WHO WERE NOT IN A UNIT OF EXCLUSIVE RECOGNITION. /3/ SUBSEQUENT TO THE FILING OF THE PETITION HEREIN ON AUGUST 29, 1980, BUT PRIOR TO THE HEARING, THE AGENCY ANNOUNCED A REORGANIZATION EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 7, 1980 BY WHICH THE AGENCY CLOSED ITS NEW YORK OFFICE AND TRANSFERRED ALL EMPLOYEES TO HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF TWO CUSTOM RECORDS ANALYSTS WHO REMAINED IN NEW YORK CITY. ALTHOUGH THE PETITIONER FILED A REPRESENTATION PETITION, UPON CONSIDERATION OF THE ENTIRE HEARING RECORD, INCLUDING THE SUBSEQUENT REORGANIZATION, THE RESIDUAL NATURE OF THE REMAINING AGENCY EMPLOYEES WORKING IN NEW YORK CITY AND THE PETITIONER'S REQUEST TO, IN EFFECT, ACCRETE SUCH EMPLOYEES INTO ITS ALREADY EXISTING UNIT, THE AUTHORITY VIEWS SUCH PETITION AS RAISING A UNIT CLARIFICATION ISSUE RATHER THAN A QUESTION CONCERNING REPRESENTATION. ACCORDINGLY, THE DECISION HEREIN WILL BE LIMITED TO WHETHER THE EXISTING UNIT OF HEADQUARTERS EMPLOYEES SHOULD BE CLARIFIED TO INCLUDE THE TWO CUSTOMS RECORDS ANALYSTS ASSIGNED TO WORK IN NEW YORK CITY. AS STATED ABOVE, AS A CONSEQUENCE OF THE REORGANIZATION EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 7, 1980, THE AGENCY CLOSED ITS NEW YORK OFFICE AND TRANSFERRED ALL THE EMPLOYEES TO WASHINGTON, EXCEPT FOR THE TWO CUSTOMS RECORDS ANALYSTS WHO REMAINED IN NEW YORK CITY. BASICALLY ALL FUNCTIONS OF THE NEW YORK OFFICE WERE TRANSFERRED TO THE APPROPRIATE FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION AT THE WASHINGTON, D.C. HEADQUARTERS OF THE AGENCY. ALTHOUGH THE DUTIES OF THE CUSTOMS RECORDS ANALYSTS LOCATED IN NEW YORK CITY REMAINED ESSENTIALLY THE SAME FOLLOWING REORGANIZATION, ORGANIZATIONALLY THEY WERE ASSIGNED TO THE OFFICE OF INDUSTRIES, CHEMICALS AND ENERGY DIVISION, WHICH IS LOCATED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. THE RECORD REVEALS THAT THE CUSTOMS RECORDS ANALYSTS REPORT TO A SUPERVISOR IN WASHINGTON, D.C., HEADQUARTERS OF THE COMMISSION, AND ARE SUBJECT TO THE PERSONNEL POLICIES AND PRACTICES COMMON TO ALL THE AGENCY'S EMPLOYEES. BASED ON THE ENTIRE RECORD AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THIS CASE, THE AUTHORITY FINDS THAT THE UNIT REPRESENTED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE PETITIONER SHOULD BE CLARIFIED BY INCLUDING IN SUCH UNIT CUSTOMS RECORDS ANALYSTS ASSIGNED TO WORK IN NEW YORK CITY. IN REACHING THIS CONCLUSION, THE AUTHORITY NOTES THAT THE EMPLOYEES IN NEW YORK CITY AND THE EMPLOYEES OF THE CHEMICAL AND ENERGY DIVISION, OFFICE OF INDUSTRIES, ARE ENGAGED IN COMMON AND INTEGRATED WORK PROCESSES, ENJOY COMMON MISSION AND COMMON SUPERVISION, AND ARE SUBJECT TO UNIFORM PERSONNEL AND LABOR RELATIONS POLICIES AND, THUS, SHARE A CLEAR AND IDENTIFIABLE COMMUNITY OF INTEREST. FURTHER, IT IS CLEAR FROM THE RECORD THAT THE CUSTOMS RECORDS ANALYSTS ARE ORGANIZATIONALLY AND FUNCTIONALLY INTEGRATED WITH OTHER EMPLOYEES OF THE AGENCY, AND THAT THE AGENCY'S PERSONNEL AND LABOR RELATIONS ARE THE AGENCY, AND THAT THE AGENCY'S PERSONNEL AND LABOR RELATIONS ARE ESTABLISHED AND IMPLEMENTED ON AN AGENCY-WIDE BASIS. UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES, THE AUTHORITY FINDS THAT THE UNIT, AS CLARIFIED, WILL PROMOTE EFFECTIVE DEALINGS AND EFFICIENCY OF AGENCY OPERATIONS. ORDER IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT THE UNIT FOR WHICH THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 2211, AFL-CIO IS THE EXCLUSIVE REPRESENTATIVE BE, AND IT HEREBY IS, CLARIFIED BY INCLUDING IN SUCH UNIT EMPLOYEES CLASSIFIED AS CUSTOMS RECORDS ANALYST AND ASSIGNED TO WORK IN NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK. ISSUED, WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 26, 1982 RONALD W. HAUGHTON, CHAIRMAN HENRY B. FRAZIER III, MEMBER LEON B. APPLEWHAITE, MEMBER FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS --------------- FOOTNOTES: --------------- /1/ THE UNIT IS DESCRIBED AS AMENDED AT THE HEARING. /2/ IN ADDITION, THE AUTHORITY IS ADMINISTRATIVELY ADVISED THAT IN 1969, THE AGENCY RECOGNIZED THE GRAPHIC ARTS INTERNATIONAL UNION, LOCAL 98-L, AFL-CIO AS THE EXCLUSIVE REPRESENTATIVE OF A UNIT OF ALL EMPLOYEES IN ITS GRAPHICS SECTION, LOCATED IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WHICH UNIT ENCOMPASSED ALL WAGE GRADE EMPLOYEES OF THE AGENCY. /3/ PRIOR TO THE INSTANT PETITION HEREIN, THE PETITIONER ON JULY 3, 1979 HAD FILED A PETITION SEEKING TO REPRESENT THE SAME UNIT OF ACTIVITY EMPLOYEES WHICH INCLUDED AT THAT TIME ONE STAFF ASSISTANT, ONE INTERNATIONAL TRADE SPECIALIST AND TWO CUSTOMS RECORDS ANALYSTS. THE PETITIONER FAILED TO RECEIVE A MAJORITY OF THE VALID BALLOTS CAST IN THE RESULTING ELECTION.