Carpinteria Lemon Ass'n v. National Labor Relations Board

This matter is now before the court on employees’ motions to intervene and to vacate decrees of this court, and on the National Labor Relations Board’s petitions to have the respondent Associations adjudged in civil contempt.

In February, 1957, this court entered a decree enforcing orders issued by the Board against five Associations of citrus fruit growers. The orders required the Associations to bargain collectively with the United Packinghouse Workers local as exclusive representative of their employees. At that time, we rejected the Associations’ contention that the repudiation of the Union by a majority of the employees of each Association, shortly after certification of the Union as bargaining representative, relieved the Associations of the duty to bargain with the Union. Carpinteria Lemon Ass’n v. N. L. R. B., 9 Cir., 1956, 240 F.2d 554 ; certiorari denied 1957, 354 U.S. 909 , 77 S.Ct. 1295 , 1 L.Ed.2d 1427 .

In March, August, and September, 1958, substantially the same employees who had been parties to the initial employee repudiation of the Union filed decertification petitions with the Board. The Regional Director of the Board dismissed the petitions and the Board…