Wow...
In all my days, I've NEVER met a boss who was willing to lose ground to a foreman.
The idea that you can second guess the social dynamics -- based upon what only one party is telling you -- who's trying to get a job...
That's gossip at best.
I can't imagine hiring an employee who figures that he's entitled to win half the arguments.
Whenever I ran across such players -- they had to be canned/ laid off/ put on reserve status.
We're in the pipe and wire installation business. It's not a debate club. It's not supposed to be a soap opera.