General Services Administration, National Capital Region (Activity/Petitioner) and Steamfitters Local Union 602 of the United Association of Journeymen And Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada, AFL-CIO (Labor Organization) and American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2151, AFL-CIO (Labor Organization)

 5 FLRA No. 38
 
 GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
 NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
 Activity/Petitioner
 
 and
 
 STEAMFITTERS LOCAL UNION 602 OF
 THE UNITED ASSOCIATION OF JOURNEYMEN
 AND APPRENTICES OF THE PLUMBING
 AND PIPEFITTING INDUSTRY OF THE
 UNITED STATES AND CANADA, AFL-CIO
 Labor Organization
 
 and
 
 AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT
 EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 2151, AFL-CIO
 Labor Organization
 
                                            Case No. 3-CU-48
 
                    DECISION AND ORDER CLARIFYING UNIT
 
    UPON A PETITION DULY FILED WITH THE FEDERAL LABOR RELATIONS AUTHORITY
 UNDER SECTION 7111(B)(2) OF THE FEDERAL SERVICE LABOR-MANAGEMENT
 RELATIONS STATUTE, 5 U.S.C.  7101-7135 (THE STATUTE), A HEARING WAS HELD
 BEFORE A HEARING OFFICER OF THE AUTHORITY.  THE HEARING OFFICER'S
 RULINGS MADE AT THE HEARING ARE FREE FROM PREJUDICIAL ERROR AND ARE
 HEREBY AFFIRMED.
 
    UPON THE ENTIRE RECORD IN THE SUBJECT CASE, THE AUTHORITY FINDS:  THE
 GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION
 (ACTIVITY/PETITIONER), FILED A CLARIFICATION OF UNIT PETITION SEEKING A
 DETERMINATION AS TO WHETHER A REORGANIZATION WITHIN THE ACTIVITY HAD THE
 EFFECT OF ACCRETING NINE METER SHOP NON-SUPERVISORY WAGE GRADE EMPLOYEES
 TO THE BARGAINING UNIT EXCLUSIVELY REPRESENTED BY STEAMFITTERS LOCAL
 UNION 602 OF THE UNITED ASSOCIATION OF JOURNEYMEN AND APPRENTICES OF THE
 PLUMBING AND PIPEFITTING INDUSTRY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA,
 AFL-CIO (STEAMFITTERS) /1/ OR WHETHER SUCH EMPLOYEES REMAIN IN THE
 CERTIFIED UNIT REPRESENTED BY AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT
 EMPLOYEES, LOCAL 2151, AFL-CIO (AFGE).  /2/ THE ACTIVITY/PETITIONER
 TAKES NO POSITION AS TO WHICH LABOR ORGANIZATION REPRESENTS THE METER
 SHOP EMPLOYEES.  THE AFGE CONTENDS THAT IT CONTINUES TO REPRESENT THE
 METER SHOP EMPLOYEES, WHILE IT IS ALLEGED BY THE STEAMFITTERS THAT THE
 NINE EMPLOYEES INVOLVED HAVE ACCRETED TO ITS UNIT OF EXCLUSIVE
 RECOGNITION AND SHARE A COMMUNITY OF INTEREST WITH THE EMPLOYEES
 THEREIN.
 
    ON DECEMBER 14, 1979, A REORGANIZATION OF THE ACTIVITY'S PUBLIC
 BUILDINGS SERVICE WAS INSTITUTED.  AS A RESULT OF THE REORGANIZATION,
 THE ACTIVITY'S METER SHOP WAS ORGANIZATIONALLY TRANSFERRED INTACT WITHIN
 THE HEATING OPERATIONS AND TRANSMISSION AREA (HOTA) FROM THE TECHNICAL
 FIELD OFFICE TO THE DISTRICT HEATING FIELD OFFICE.  THE METER SHOP DID
 NOT PHYSICALLY MOVE AS A RESULT OF THE REORGANIZATION.  IN SEPTEMBER
 1978, MORE THAN A YEAR PRIOR TO THE REORGANIZATION, THE METER SHOP HAD
 BEEN MOVED FROM THE ACTIVITY'S WEST PLANT IN GEORGETOWN TO ITS PRESENT
 LOCATION IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, WHERE IT SHARES SPACE WITH THE DISTRICT
 HEATING FIELD OFFICE HEADQUARTERS AND THE STEAM DISTRIBUTION COMPLEX.
 
    THE METER SHOP IS RESPONSIBLE FOR MAINTAINING METERS THROUGHOUT THE
 STEAM DISTRIBUTION COMPLEX AND WITHIN THE HEATING PLANTS UNDER THE
 JURISDICTION OF HOTA.  IT ALSO HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAINTAINING
 AND REPAIRING NUMERIC, ELECTRIC AND ELECTRONIC CONTROLS.  METER SHOP
 EMPLOYEES PERFORM 80 TO 90 PERCENT OF THEIR WORK, INCLUDING THE
 SERVICING OF METERS, IN OVER 100 BUILDINGS IN THE WASHINGTON, D.C.
 METROPOLITAN AREA.  THE FUNCTIONS AND SERVICE AREA OF THE METER SHOP DID
 NOT CHANGE BY VIRTUE OF THE REORGANIZATION.  ITS EMPLOYEES CONTINUE TO
 PERFORM THE SAME FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES AND REPORT TO THE SAME IMMEDIATE
 SUPERVISOR AS BEFORE THE REORGANIZATION.  ALTHOUGH EMPLOYEES OF THE
 METER SHOP AND THE STEAMFITTERS UNIT ARE LOCATED IN THE SAME BUILDING,
 THERE IS LITTLE JOB RELATED CONTACT AND NO JOB INTERCHANGE.  THE
 STEAMFITTERS PERFORM MOST OF THEIR WORK SERVICING AND MAINTAINING STEAM
 PIPES THROUGHOUT THE ACTIVITY'S TUNNEL SYSTEM, WHILE METERMEN USUALLY
 WORK IN BUILDINGS WHERE THE METERS ARE LOCATED.  WHILE THE WAGE GRADE
 EMPLOYEES IN ALL OF THE UNITS AT THE ACTIVITY ARE SERVICED BY A CENTRAL
 PERSONNEL OFFICE (CPO) WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR (AMONG OTHER THINGS) THE
 ADMINISTRATION OF LABOR RELATIONS, THE CPO HAS SERVICED ALL THE AFFECTED
 EMPLOYEES BEFORE AS WELL AS AFTER THE REORGANIZATION.
 
    BASED UPON THE FOREGOING, THE AUTHORITY FINDS THAT THE ACTIVITY'S
 METER SHOP EMPLOYEES CONTINUE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE CONSOLIDATED UNIT
 EXCLUSIVELY REPRESENTED BY AFGE, AND THAT AN ACCRETION OF THE NINE
 DISPUTED EMPLOYEES TO THE STEAMFITTERS' UNIT OF EXCLUSIVE RECOGNITION IS
 NOT JUSTIFIED.  THUS, AS PREVIOUSLY STATED, AFTER THE REORGANIZATION THE
 METER SHOP EMPLOYEES HAVE CONTINUED TO PERFORM THE SAME WORK IN THE SAME
 LOCATION AND UNDER THE SAME IMMEDIATE SUPERVISION AS BEFORE THE
 REORGANIZATION.  AT NO TIME DID THEY BECOME COMMINGLED, EITHER
 PHYSICALLY OR FUNCTIONALLY, WITH THE EMPLOYEES IN THE UNIT EXCLUSIVELY
 REPRESENTED BY THE STEAMFITTERS.  IN THIS LATTER REGARD, ALTHOUGH THE
 METER SHOP EMPLOYEES REPORT TO WORK IN THE SAME BUILDING AS THE
 STEAMFITTERS, AND HAVE DONE SO FOR MORE THAN A YEAR PRIOR TO THE
 REORGANIZATION (DURING WHICH TIME THEY REMAINED WITHOUT CHALLENGE IN
 AFGE'S CONSOLIDATED UNIT), THEY SPEND THE VAST MAJORITY OF THEIR WORK
 DAY MAINTAINING METERS IN BUILDINGS THROUGHOUT THE WASHINGTON
 METROPOLITAN AREA, WHEREAS THE STEAMFITTERS PERFORM MOST OF THEIR WORK
 IN OTHER LOCATIONS MAINTAINING STEAM PIPES THROUGHOUT THE ACTIVITY'S
 TUNNEL SYSTEM.  INASMUCH AS THE EMPLOYEES IN QUESTION PERFORM
 IDENTIFIABLY DISTINCT FUNCTIONS IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND UNDER
 DIFFERENT SUPERVISION, AND INASMUCH AS THERE IS NO INTERCHANGE BETWEEN
 THE TWO FUNCTIONS, IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE METER SHOP EMPLOYEES RETAIN
 THEIR COMMUNITY OF INTEREST WITH THE OTHER EMPLOYEES IN THE CONSOLIDATED
 UNIT EXCLUSIVELY REPRESENTED BY AFGE AND DO NOT SHARE A SEPARATE AND
 DISTINCT COMMUNITY OF INTEREST WITH THE EMPLOYEES IN THE STEAMFITTERS'
 UNIT OF EXCLUSIVE RECOGNITION.  MOREOVER, NOTING THAT THE METER SHOP
 EMPLOYEES HAVE REMAINED PHYSICALLY SEPARATE AND FUNCTIONALLY DISTINCT
 FROM THE EMPLOYEES IN THE STEAMFITTERS' UNIT AFTER THE REORGANIZATION,
 IT IS CONCLUDED THAT EFFECTIVE DEALINGS AND EFFICIENCY OF OPERATIONS
 WOULD BE PROMOTED BY MAINTAINING THE ESTABLISHED UNITS OF EXCLUSIVE
 RECOGNITION WITHIN THE ACTIVITY AS THEY EXISTED PRIOR TO THE
 REORGANIZATION.  /3/ ACCORDINGLY, THE ACTIVITY'S PETITION FOR
 CLARIFICAT