Day 139 - 21 Jun 95 - Page 14
1 an election. There could be many different motives why
2 someone would sign a card. The NLRB rules are that there
3 needs to be an indication that 30 per cent wish to have an
4 election, not necessarily that they wish to be a member of
5 a union. In fact, my Lord, if you will, that is why in a
6 lot of cases that gets to be very controversial as to what
7 was the intent by signing the card.
8
9 MR. MORRIS: Do you think that the fact that they were in a city
10 that had a strong union tradition may have had some
11 influence?
12 A. If you are asking me whether or not their parents or
13 their relatives would be union members in a city such as
14 that, it is very likely that some members of families would
15 be. But I am not sure I understand the gist of -----
16
17 MR. JUSTICE BELL: If you cannot answer the question, say so.
18 Mr. Morris is entitled to ask you, in case you can give any
19 useful information about what particular reason there might
20 have been for any show of interest in unions in three
21 stores in Detroit. Now, if you can think of a reason,
22 whatever it may be, it would be helpful for you to declare
23 it. If you just do not know, then you must not hesitate to
24 say so.
25 A. Thank you, my Lord. I do not know. You are asking me
26 to speculate.
27
28 MR. MORRIS: When you went to Detroit to get involved in that
29 situation, part of your investigation was not to identify
30 what the causes of discontent were or reasons for interest
31 in the union were?
32 A. You are making an assumption, sir, that there was
33 discontent.
34
35 Q. I am saying, did you investigate causes of potential
36 discontent, and -----
37
38 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, he must be asked first, with respect,
39 whether he was aware whether there was any discontent.
40
41 MR. MORRIS: I am asking if he investigated. He may not have
42 investigated it. I do not know
43
44 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I will ask that. (To the witness) Did you
45 make any investigations as to what reasons there might be
46 for any interest which there might have been in union
47 representation?
48 A. Certainly, I asked the owner/operator what he might
49 feel the interest would be in the union.
50
51 MR. MORRIS: But did you ask the staff? Did they tell you what
52 their interests were?
53 A. It would be illegal for me to ask the staff. The
54 answer is "no".
55
56 Q. So what did the operator say, then?
57 A. The operator said he did not really understand what it
58 was all about or why there would be this problem. He felt
59 his stores were operating properly and he felt that his
60 people were all quite content.
