Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company v. National Labor Relations Board

Petitioner, the Pittsburgh-Des Moines Steel Company, fabricates and sells steel products in interstate commerce. It operates manufacturing plants at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Des Moines and West Des Moines, Iowa, and Santa Clara and Fresno, California; it maintains warehousing facilities at Santa Clara, Fresno, Sacramento, Stockton and El Monte, California. There is no question but that petitioner must conform to the strictures of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended, 29 U.S.C.A. § 151 et seq.

Since sometime prior to 1946, petitioner has customarily made gifts of Christmas bonuses to the employees at its various plants and facilities. From 1946 through 1950 all of the Company’s employees received yearly yuletide bonuses even though workers at the Pittsburgh plant had struck for 12 days in 1946, and for 12 to 14 days in 1947. In 1951 all employees were given a bonus with the exception of those in the production and maintenance unit organized by the United Steelworkers of America at the Pittsburgh plant. These men had struck for 46 working days during the year. From 1952 through 1955 all employees received bonuses except for the men at the Fresno plant in 1955; the Fresno…