Tecumseh Products Company v. Wisconsin

In September, 1961, Lodge 1259 of the International Association of Machinists, A.F.L.-C.I.O., filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Employment Relations Board charging Tecumseh Products Company with unfair labor practices in that the company violated the terms of the collective-bargaining agreement in force between the company and the union in 1961 in two respects: (1) Failure to pay "downtime" pay, pursuant to sec. 4, art. X of the collective agreement to certain "group incentive workers" whose assembly-line production was affected because of a delay in the flow of materials; and (2) the company refused to permit an employee, Betty Prahl, upon her completing a leave of absence, to return to the assembly group where she had been previously working, although she had more seniority than some employees who were employed on such assembly group. The companys conduct, the union maintained, violated the provisions of sec. 14 (F), art. VI of the collective agreement.