Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers v. Stanbury

811 F. Supp. 464, 1992 WL 423945
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Missouri
DecidedDecember 11, 1992
Docket2:92CV61
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 811 F. Supp. 464 (Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers v. Stanbury) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers v. Stanbury, 811 F. Supp. 464, 1992 WL 423945 (E.D. Mo. 1992).

Opinion

811 F.Supp. 464 (1992)

AMALGAMATED CLOTHING AND TEXTILE WORKERS UNION, AFL-CIO, CLC, Plaintiff,
v.
STANBURY UNIFORMS, INC., Defendant.

No. 2:92CV61.

United States District Court, E.D. Missouri, N.D.

December 11, 1992.

*465 William M. Franz, III, President, Franz and Franz, St. Louis, MO, for plaintiff.

Steven S. Griswold, Associate, Thomas O. McCarthy, Partner, McMahon and Berger, St. Louis, MO, Donald J. Cairns, Lindner and Marsack, Milwaukee, WI, for defendant.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

HAMILTON, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court pursuant to the Motion of Defendant Stanbury Uniforms, Inc. to Dismiss or, in the Alternative, for Summary Judgment.

For approximately thirty years, Defendant Stanbury Uniforms, Inc. ("Stanbury") operated a manufacturing plant in Brookfield, Missouri. During that time, Plaintiff Amalgamated Clothing & Textile Workers Union, AFL-CIO, CLC ("Union") represented Defendant's Brookfield, Missouri employees in the collective bargaining process. Complaint ¶ 5. On January 1, 1989, Stanbury and the Union entered into a collective bargaining agreement which was to remain in effect until December 31, 1991, and thereafter, unless either party gave notice of its intent to terminate or modify the Agreement on or before October 1, 1991. Article XV of the Agreement provides, in pertinent part:

A. During the term of this Agreement the Employer agrees that it shall not, without the consent of the Union, remove *466 or cause to be removed its present plant from the city in which such plant is located.

The Agreement also provided for an arbitration and grievance procedure.[1]

In September of 1991, Stanbury informed the Union that it intended to terminate the Agreement. Stanbury and the Union negotiated but failed to agree on new terms. By letter dated December 31, 1991, Stanbury notified the Union that it was partially implementing its final offer. On April 15, 1992, Stanbury announced that it was moving its Brookfield operations to Blountstown, Florida. The Union informed Defendant that it considered the move a violation of the Agreement. Complaint ¶ 10. The Union filed a grievance with Stanbury, which was denied. The Union then requested arbitration of the denied grievance, but Stanbury refused to arbitrate the issue. On May 21, 1992, Plaintiff filed this lawsuit. Count I of Plaintiff's complaint is a claim for breach of the collective bargaining agreement. Count II is a suit to compel arbitration.

Defendant moves to dismiss Plaintiff's claims for failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted and for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 6 and 12(b)(1). In the alternative, Defendant moves for summary judgment pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56. Because the Court considers materials outside of the pleadings, this Motion will be treated as one for summary judgment. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b).[2]

Rule 56(a) provides that a claimant "may, at any time after the expiration of 20 days from the commencement of the action ... move with or without supporting affidavits for a summary judgment in the party's favor upon all or any part thereof." Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(a). Summary judgment should not be granted unless the moving party has established the right to a judgment with such clarity that there is no room for controversy. Buford v. Tremayne, 747 F.2d 445, 447 (8th Cir.1984). Rule 56(c) provides that the "judgment sought shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c). See also Odom v. Tripp, 575 F.Supp. 1491, 1492 (E.D.Mo.1983).

Breach of Contract

Defendant asserts that this Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over Plaintiff's breach of contract claim because the Agreement terminated on January 1, *467 1992, and the events which gave rise to Plaintiff's complaint occurred after that date. Defendant maintains that Plaintiff's breach of contract claims are better characterized as unfair labor practice claims subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board. In its Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant's Motion, Plaintiff contends that even if the Agreement was not in effect at the time of the complained of events, the disputed contractual rights vested or accrued before termination and therefore jurisdiction is proper.

Section 301(a) of the Labor Management Relations Act provides:

Suits for violation of contracts between an employer and a labor organization representing employees in an industry affecting commerce as defined in this chapter ... may be brought in any district court of the United States having jurisdiction of the parties, without respect to the amount in controversy or without regard to the citizenship of the parties.

29 U.S.C. § 185(a) (1978). Jurisdiction under this chapter extends only to contract claims. International Ass'n of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO v. Aerospace Division, UOP, Inc., 580 F.Supp. 641, 644 (D.Conn.1984). Although this Court has jurisdiction to determine a contract's existence and validity, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 532 v. Brink Construction Company, 825 F.2d 207, 212 (9th Cir.1987); this Court has jurisdiction over a breach of contract claim only while the agreement is in force. Litton Financial Printing Division, A Division of Litton Business Systems, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board, ___ U.S. ___, ___, 111 S.Ct. 2215, 2225, 115 L.Ed.2d 177 (1991).

Whether a claim arises under a contract, or whether the claim is one for unfair labor practices was discussed by the Supreme Court in Litton. The Court recognized that "an expired contract has by its own terms released all its parties from their respective contractual obligations, except obligations already fixed under the contract but as yet unsatisfied." Although an employer is prohibited from unilaterally changing most terms and conditions of employment, "those terms and conditions no longer have force by virtue of the contract." Id. at ___, 111 S.Ct. at 2225. These rights and duties are terms imposed by operation of law under the National Labor Relations Act. A violation of these terms gives rise to an unfair labor practice claim. Such claims are within the exclusive jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board. San Diego Buildings Trades Council v. Garmon, 359 U.S. 236, 79 S.Ct. 773, 3 L.Ed.2d 775 (1959).

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