Union-related discriminatory motivation

AND · 29usc158:union-purpose

The General Counsel bears the initial persuasion burden. Employer knowledge, timing and animus can be evidence; these are not universal extra statutory elements. Group retaliation can reach workers without individual protected activity.

Exact element source

to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization

Source: docroot/ir/usc/title29.jsonl#title29_sec158; Unicode character offsets [739:802] (end exclusive); SHA-256 caadb20cedf4fd4e200812fc0ec46617cc7978ef7a6b0a30e355bccfeb7e0d06.

Routes and case patterns

Curated routes and observed case patterns
Route	Definition	Merits instance blocks	Distinct merits cases	Examples (up to 3 cases per count group)
_whole accepted; 2 observed cases	The element is decided as a whole: the reasoning turns on no narrower doctrinal sub-question that distinguishes it from any other application of this element.	2 Satisfied 2; not satisfied 0; excluded context 0	2	Erickson Trucking Serv., Inc. v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd. — 929 F.3d 393 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (29usc158: author: Astra4 · not independently reviewed) · applied/merits · counted Pattern: workforce-retaliation/layoffs-reversible-if-union-backs-off St. Paul Park Ref. Co. v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd. — 929 F.3d 610 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (29usc158: author: Flash3 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md)) · applied/merits · counted Pattern: suspension for a safety stop; motive inferred from discredited insubordination rationale, one-sided investigation and changing reasons

How courts decided this element

Annotation blocks, including explicitly excluded context
Case	Element	Holding and scope	Pattern	Exact source quotations
Erickson Trucking Serv., Inc. v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd. — 929 F.3d 393 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (29usc158: author: Astra4 · not independently reviewed)	Union-related discriminatory motivation	satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: proved; claim: (a); party: six discharged crane operators; subject: party=six discharged crane operators The court permits proof of retaliation against the workforce rather than requiring individual union activity by every fired worker.	workforce-retaliation/layoffs-reversible-if-union-backs-off	From May to July of 2016, Erickson fired six members of the Local as they completed projects-30% of the company's operators. Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0393-01`; Unicode character offsets [3796:3920] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `859f942fccda81455b75cdf787d5a7c40e108f8f20c84015167835c1180ed92b`. Evidence kind: fact; polarity: supports; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 0 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged) The layoffs "could be reversed," he added, if the workers would "get the Union to back off." Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0393-01`; Unicode character offsets [4319:4411] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `859f942fccda81455b75cdf787d5a7c40e108f8f20c84015167835c1180ed92b`. Evidence kind: fact; polarity: supports; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 0 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged) Substantial evidence supports its conclusion. Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0393-01`; Unicode character offsets [6257:6302] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `859f942fccda81455b75cdf787d5a7c40e108f8f20c84015167835c1180ed92b`. Evidence kind: held; polarity: not recorded; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 0 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged)
St. Paul Park Ref. Co. v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd. — 929 F.3d 610 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit · 2019 — satisfied · proved (29usc158: author: Flash3 · QA: FIX (Fable, neov2/cases/TRIAGE-Flash.md))	Union-related discriminatory motivation	satisfied Counted merits instance applied / merits basis: proved; party: St. Paul Park Refining Company; count: § 8(a)(1) suspension for safety stop; subject: party=St. Paul Park Refining Company; count=§ 8(a)(1) suspension for safety stop Added on triage: the motivating-factor step of Wright Line was the contested middle of the court's analysis and had no block.	suspension for a safety stop; motive inferred from discredited insubordination rationale, one-sided investigation and changing reasons	"Motivation is a question of fact that may be inferred from both direct and circumstantial evidence." Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0610-01`; Unicode character offsets [11066:11167] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `39d1fec63df83079263c35248b62c671e36c05cf4be05a0f93531bfbb5b46224`. Evidence kind: rule; polarity: not recorded; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 1 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged) Eventually, SPPRC issued Topor a 10-day unpaid suspension and a final written warning, citing inappropriate behavior and insubordination. Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0610-01`; Unicode character offsets [4969:5106] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `39d1fec63df83079263c35248b62c671e36c05cf4be05a0f93531bfbb5b46224`. Evidence kind: fact; polarity: supports; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 0 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged) During its investigation, SPPRC interviewed only some of the witnesses Jung had named, relying almost entirely on supervisors' accounts while declining to interview fellow unit employees like Rennert. Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0610-01`; Unicode character offsets [4676:4876] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `39d1fec63df83079263c35248b62c671e36c05cf4be05a0f93531bfbb5b46224`. Evidence kind: fact; polarity: supports; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 0 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged) As to the alleged belligerent behavior, Jung did not include the fingerpointing allegation in her original account of the incident. Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0610-01`; Unicode character offsets [12317:12448] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `39d1fec63df83079263c35248b62c671e36c05cf4be05a0f93531bfbb5b46224`. Evidence kind: fact; polarity: supports; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 0 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged) Regenscheid wrote that Topor had refused to do assigned work and behaved insubordinately. Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0610-01`; Unicode character offsets [4305:4394] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `39d1fec63df83079263c35248b62c671e36c05cf4be05a0f93531bfbb5b46224`. Evidence kind: fact; polarity: cuts-against; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 0 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged) Together, these facts provide substantial evidence that SPPRC had a discriminatory motive. Source: `docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0610-01`; Unicode character offsets [12597:12687] (end exclusive); SHA-256 `39d1fec63df83079263c35248b62c671e36c05cf4be05a0f93531bfbb5b46224`. Evidence kind: held; polarity: not recorded; absent flag: 0; quoted-rule flag: 0 (1 = tagged; 0 = not tagged)

Court interpretations

interpretation

In the alternative, it may show that the employer fired employees to retaliate against the workforce as a whole or to discourage union activity.

Erickson Trucking Serv., Inc. v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd. — 929 F.3d 393 (2019) · United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit · 2019 (29usc158: author: Astra4 · not independently reviewed)

In the alternative, it may show that the employer fired employees to retaliate against the workforce as a whole or to discourage union activity.

Source: docroot/ir/caselaw/f3d_929.jsonl#/f3d/929/0393-01; Unicode character offsets [5849:5993] (end exclusive); SHA-256 859f942fccda81455b75cdf787d5a7c40e108f8f20c84015167835c1180ed92b.