Otis Elevator was acquired by United Technologies (UT) in 1975. A review of Otis’s operations showed its technology to be outdated. The company’s products were poorly engineered and were losing money. Its production and research facilities were scattered across the United States with many duplications of work. Research, in particular, was done at two separate New Jersey facilities, one of which was extremelyoutdated. UT did all of its research at a major research and development center in Connecticut; some research for Otis was also done there. UT decided to transfer Otis research from the two New Jersey locations to an expanded facility in Connecticut in order to strengthen the overall research effort and to allow Otis to redesign its product. The union representing Otis employees alleged that UT had engaged in an unfair labor practice by refusing to bargain with the union over its decision to relocate the work. Was UT’s refusal to bargain over this decision a violation of Section 8(a)(5)?
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