Changes

==Background==

==Background==

The case arose out of a policy involving a unionized grocery store chain located in the Houston, Texas area, which had a somewhat confusing policy regarding free meals provided to its employees: employees who worked at stores with lunch counters were permitted a free meal daily, while employees who worked at stores with only lobby food operations were not permitted such.  However, the policy was not always made clear to employees, or managers for that reason.

The case arose out of a policy involving a unionized grocery store chain located in the Houston, Texas area, which had a somewhat confusing policy regarding free meals provided to its employees: employees who worked at stores with lunch counters were permitted a free meal daily, while employees who worked at stores with only lobby food operations were not permitted such.  However, the policy was not always made clear to employees, or managers for that reason, and as such was not regularly enforced at the non-lunch counter stores.

Leura Collins, an employee who worked at a store with a lobby food operation (and who had transferred only two years prior from a store with a lunch counter operation), was accused of taking money from the store's cash register.  The company hired an internal investigator who looked into the matter (without the manager's knowledge) but found no evidence to support the allegations, and informed the store manager of such.

Leura Collins, an employee who worked at a store with a lobby food operation (and who had transferred only two years prior from a store with a lunch counter operation), was accused of taking money from the store's cash register.  The company hired an internal investigator who looked into the matter (without the manager's knowledge) but found no evidence to support the allegations and informed the store manager of such.

The store manager then replied that a co-worker reported that Collins had failed to pay for a full box of chicken purchased, whereupon Collins was called in for questioning.  After requesting to have a union representative present several times (and denied each time), she replied that she purchased four pieces of chicken (total cost $1) but used a larger box (meant for larger chicken orders costing $2.98) because the store had run out of smaller boxes.  Another employee confirmed to the investigator that Collins' story was true about the lack of smaller boxes being available.

The store manager then replied that a co-worker reported that Collins had failed to pay for a full box of chicken purchased, whereupon Collins was called in for questioning.  After requesting to have a union representative present several times (and denied each time), she replied that she purchased four pieces of chicken (total cost $1) but used a larger box (meant for larger chicken orders costing $2.98) because the store had run out of smaller boxes.  Another employee confirmed to the investigator that Collins' story was true about the lack of smaller boxes being available.