Case Citation
Legal Case Name

National Labor Relations Board v. A-1 King Size Sandwiches, Inc. Case Brief

Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit1984Docket #241691
732 F.2d 872 116 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2658 1984 U.S. App. LEXIS 22335

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Case Brief Summary & Legal Analysis

General Brief
4 min read

tl;dr: The NLRB sought enforcement of its order finding A-1 King Size Sandwiches engaged in surface bargaining. The court enforced the order, holding the company’s extreme proposals demonstrated no genuine intent to reach an agreement.

Legal Significance: This case illustrates that an employer’s insistence on predictably unacceptable contract proposals, which strip the union of its representative function and employees of statutory rights, can constitute surface bargaining in violation of the NLRA.

National Labor Relations Board v. A-1 King Size Sandwiches, Inc. Law School Study Guide

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Case Facts & Court Holding

Key Facts & Case Background

Following union certification, A-1 King Size Sandwiches, Inc. (Company) and the Union engaged in eighteen bargaining sessions over eleven months without reaching a collective bargaining agreement. While agreement was reached on minor issues, the Company insisted on proposals granting it unilateral control over virtually all significant terms and conditions of employment. Key Company proposals included: retaining sole discretion over wages based on non-arbitrable merit reviews; an expansive management rights clause reserving nearly all powers (including subcontracting, assigning unit work to supervisors, and abolishing jobs) without requiring bargaining over decisions or effects, and largely exempting these actions from grievance/arbitration; a broad zipper clause waiving the Union’s right to bargain on any subject during the contract; an all-encompassing no-strike clause prohibiting strikes for any reason, including unfair labor practices, without company concessions; rejection of a “just cause” standard for discipline and discharge; sole discretion over layoff and recall without regard to seniority and exempt from arbitration; and rejection of dues check-off and a non-discrimination clause. The Company refused the Union’s offer to trade concessions on management rights, no-strike, and zipper clauses for just cause and seniority provisions. The NLRB found this conduct constituted surface bargaining.

Court Holding & Legal Precedent

Issue: Did the substantive content of the Company’s bargaining proposals, in their totality, provide substantial evidence that the Company engaged in surface bargaining with no real intention of concluding a collective bargaining agreement, thereby violating Sections 8(a)(1) and (5) of the NLRA?

Yes. The court enforced the NLRB’s order, finding substantial evidence supported the Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non pr

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IRAC Legal Analysis

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Legal Issue

Did the substantive content of the Company’s bargaining proposals, in their totality, provide substantial evidence that the Company engaged in surface bargaining with no real intention of concluding a collective bargaining agreement, thereby violating Sections 8(a)(1) and (5) of the NLRA?

Conclusion

This case reinforces the principle that while the NLRB cannot compel substantive Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fu

Legal Rule

Under Section 8(a)(5) of the NLRA, an employer must bargain collectively in Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur

Legal Analysis

The court determined that the Company's bargaining posture, as evidenced by its Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore

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Flash Summary

  • An employer engages in unlawful surface bargaining where its proposals, in
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui of

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