Altemose Construction Co. v. Atlantic, Cape May & Parts of Burlington, Ocean & Cumberland Counties Building Trades Council

493 F. Supp. 1181, 104 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2856, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12094
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedJune 19, 1980
DocketCiv. A. 79-2912
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 493 F. Supp. 1181 (Altemose Construction Co. v. Atlantic, Cape May & Parts of Burlington, Ocean & Cumberland Counties Building Trades Council) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Altemose Construction Co. v. Atlantic, Cape May & Parts of Burlington, Ocean & Cumberland Counties Building Trades Council, 493 F. Supp. 1181, 104 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2856, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12094 (D.N.J. 1980).

Opinion

OPINION

BROTMAN, District Judge.

This is an action by a nonunion general contractor seeking compensatory and punitive damages against a labor association, four local unions and three concrete suppliers for antitrust violations, and against the labor organization defendants for violations of the federal labor laws. Jurisdiction is asserted under 15 U.S.C. §§ 1, 2 (Sherman Act), 4 and 16 (Clayton Act), 29 U.S.C. § 187 (Labor-Management Relations Act) and 28 U.S.C. § 1337 (Judicial Code). The case is presently before the court upon motion by the labor organization defendants for dismissal of the complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6).

When a motion is made under rule 12(b)(6) it will be denied unless there are clearly no set of facts that can be proved which might entitle the plaintiff to relief. Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 102, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957). All facts pleaded by the plaintiff must be taken as true and all reasonable inferences must be drawn in favor of the plaintiff. McKnight v. Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, 583 F.2d 1229, 1235-36 (3rd Cir. 1978). The complaint will not be dismissed unless some insuperable bar to relief is apparent on the face of the complaint, Battle v. Liberty National Life Insurance Company, 493 F.2d 39, 44 (5th Cir. 1974), and this rule applies with no less force to a Sherman Act claim. McLain v. Real Estate Board of New Orleans, Inc., 444 U.S. 232, 245, 100 S.Ct. 502, 511, 62 L.Ed.2d 441 (1980),

I. Plaintiff’s Allegations

(The following narrative is derived solely from the complaint.)

Plaintiff Alternóse Construction Company is a general construction contractor engaged in interstate commerce with its principal place of business located in Center Square, Pennsylvania. In June of 1979 Alternóse entered into a contract with Til-ton Racquetball Associates (Tilton), to build for.it a racquetball facility in Pleasantville, New Jersey. The base price of the contract was $700,000. The contract also provided that time was of the essence and that Alte *1184 mose could be subject to late penalties, termination and damages if undue delay occurred.

On July 28, 1979 several agents of the defendants went to the home of Tilton’s construction consultant for the project in the belief that he was the principal. The consultant, Samuel Young, informed those individuals that he was not the principal, to which they replied that they wished to meet with the owner to discuss removal of Alternóse, a nonunion contractor, from the project. They threatened that they would take all possible action to ensure that the project would not be completed unless Alternóse were removed.

As a result of that meeting, a second meeting was held on July 30, 1979 in Atlantic City. In attendance were the general partners of Tilton, the president of defendant building trades council 1 (Trades Council), the business manager of the Glaziers local union, a business representative of the Roofers local union, a member of the Roofers local and the attorney for all of the labor organization defendants. The agents of the labor union defendants threatened to picket and delay or prevent construction of the racquetball facility unless Alternóse were removed as general contractor. The stated reasons for the threats were their beliefs that Alternóse was testing whether it could build “nonunion” in Atlantic County, New Jersey and their desire to prevent Alternóse from acquiring lucrative contracts to build hotels and casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At least one of the labor people claimed that he could negotiate a replacement union contractor who would work for the same amount as the Alternóse contract. Complaint, at ¶ 24.

In late July or early August 1979 Alternóse contracted with defendant Silvi Concrete Products, Inc. (Silvi) for the purchase and delivery of “ready mix” concrete to the construction site. Ready mix concrete is essential to the construction of most buildings. 2 In southern New Jersey, concrete— including that sold by defendants Silvi, Eastern Transit Mix, Inc. (Eastern) and Lentine Sand and Gravel Company (Len-tine) — is sold per “yard” and the price includes batching and delivery, even if the contractor does not use the delivery services of the supplier. Complaint, at ¶ 16.

On August 8, 1979 defendant Silvi recognized defendant Teamsters as exclusive bargaining representative for some of its employees and subsequently informed Alternóse that it would not continue to perform its obligations under the contract with Alternóse. The plaintiff then entered into a similar arrangement with defendant Len-tine under which Lentine would batch, sell and deliver concrete to the project site.

Fifteen to eighteen pickets went to the job site on August 9, 1979 on behalf of the labor union defendants and carried signs claiming that Alternóse provided substandard wages and working conditions. Law enforcement officers were present, but when two Alternóse employees attempted to enter the work area, the pickets insulted them and Alternóse and spat on their automobile.

Between August 10, 1979 and August 13, telephone lines to the construction site were cut in a manner precluding easy repair. On August 13, 1979 telephone company repair crews refused to fix the cable because of the presence of approximately eight pickets, *1185 and at least one subcontractor, out of fear for damage to his equipment by the pickets, refused to perform services. The pickets also slashed tires on the automobiles of Alternóse employees.

On August 14, 1979 eight union pickets obstructed the entrance of Altemose’s project superintendent and later entered the site to communicate threats that the superintendent was “as good as dead.” The pickets threatened the driver of a Lentine concrete delivery truck, told the superintendent that there would be no more concrete, and hurled stones at Alternóse employees and their vehicles.

On August 15, 1979 and allegedly as a result of the acts of the pickets on the previous day, Lentine informed plaintiff that it would no longer deliver concrete to the job site, but that it would batch and sell to Alternóse at no reduction in price, if Alternóse arranged its own delivery.

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Bluebook (online)
493 F. Supp. 1181, 104 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2856, 1980 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12094, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/altemose-construction-co-v-atlantic-cape-may-parts-of-burlington-njd-1980.