Caterpillar Logistics, Inc. v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd., No. 15-1611 (6th Cir. 2016)
Annotate this CaseEmployees at Caterpillar’s Clayton, Ohio facility voted on whether they would be represented as a union by the UAW; 188 employees voted for representation and 229 voted against. The UAW filed objections to instances of interrogation, the creation of the impression of improper surveillance, and the improper announcements of an employee bonus and new smoking shelters shortly before the vote. While the objections were pending, Caterpillar held an employee meeting to announce the construction of a guard shack, during which Craft asked what the shack was for. General Manager Purcell responded that the shack was “for guards,” eliciting laughter. Craft, upset, allegedly told coworkers: You guys (union supporters) just gained another supporter, I’m sick of the way they treat us ... He (Purcell) thinks he can treat us like he treated the thugs he managed … I’m sick of it, that motherfucker is going down now, the gloves are fucking off now.” After the statements were reported to management, Purcell notified the police and terminated Craft’s employment. An ALJ found the interrogations, the bonus, the smoking shelters, and Craft’s termination to be violations of the National Labor Relations Act and ordered remedial measures and a new election held. The NLRB affirmed, also finding a violation by creating the impression of surveillance. The Sixth Circuit affirmed and ordered enforcement.
This opinion or order relates to an opinion or order originally issued on July 19, 2016.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.