Packard Motor Car Co. v. National Labor Relations Board (330 U.S. 485)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided March 10, 1947 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 330 U.S. 485 · 67 S. Ct. 789
- Decided
- March 10, 1947
- Term
- October Term 1946
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority author
- Justice Jackson (R.H.)
- Issue area
- Unions
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Mr. Justice Jackson delivered the opinion of the Court. The question presented by this case is whether foremen are entitled as a class to the rights of self-organization, collective bargaining, and other concerted activities as assured to employees generally by the National Labor Relations Act. The case grows out of conditions in the automotive industry, and so far as they are important to the legal issues here the facts are simple. The Packard Motor Car Company employs about 32,000 rank-and-file workmen. Since 1937 they have been represented by the United Automobile Workers of America affiliated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations. These employees are supervised by approximately 1,100 employees of foreman rank, consisting of about 125 “general foremen,” 643 “foremen,” 273 “assistant foremen,” and 65 “special assignment men.” Each general foreman is in charge of one or more departments, and under him in authority are foremen and their assistant foremen. Special assignment men are described as “troubleshooters.” The function of these foremen in generalas typical of the duties of foremen in mass-production industry generally. Foremen carry the responsibility for maintaining quantity and quality of production, subject, of course, to the overall control and supervision of the management. Hiring is done by the labor relations department, as is the discharging and laying…
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