Elk Lumber Company
National Labor Relations Board
91 N.L.R.B. 333 (1950)
- Written by Tammy Boggs, JD
Facts
Elk Lumber Company (defendant) manufactured lumber, which was loaded on railroad cars by employees working in pairs. The workers (plaintiffs) were initially paid based on how much they loaded. During days of steady operations, a pair could load two or three cars; when there were operational interruptions, they could load only about a car and a half. At one point, some improvements in plant efficiency made it possible for the workers to load more cars per day. At the same time, Elk Lumber decided to change the workers’ pay to about $1.52 per hour, which was less than what they were paid before. The workers opposed the changed conditions and agreed amongst themselves to slow down their speed of work so that a pair of workers loaded only one car a day, which they believed was the appropriate amount of work to match Elk Lumber’s set hourly rate. The workers also agreed that they would not increase their pace of work unless they were paid more. Elk Lumber discharged the workers for cause. The matter came before the National Labor Relations Board.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (No information provided)
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