Barksdale & LeBlanc v. Local No. 130, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

143 So. 2d 770, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 2193, 45 Lab. Cas. (CCH) 17,586
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 23, 1962
DocketNo. 5313
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 143 So. 2d 770 (Barksdale & LeBlanc v. Local No. 130, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Barksdale & LeBlanc v. Local No. 130, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 143 So. 2d 770, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 2193, 45 Lab. Cas. (CCH) 17,586 (La. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinion

HERGET, Judge.

These two cases having identical law and factual issues were consolidated for trial in the lower Court. Plaintiffs, Barksdale and LeBlanc (a partnership engaged in construction work) and Electric Shop, Leon Naquin and Son (an electrical subcontractor) instituted injunctive proceedings to restrain defendant, Local No. 130, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, from picketing the W. S. Lafargue Elementary School project in Thibodaux, Louisiana. The Lafourche Parish School Board entered into a general contract with Barks-dale and LeBlanc for the construction of the school and said general contractor subcontracted the electrical work thereon to Electric Shop, Leon Naquin and Son.

For several weeks the work had been in progress when, on March 31, 1960, Defendant dispatched a letter to Naquin, the subcontractor, wherein the Union advised Naquin that the wages paid and other benefits given by Naquin to its employees were less than that required by the Union to be paid to Union employees performing the same type of work and that the Union could not maintain its present Union standards or improve them as long as there were employees in the industry who were re-' ceiving less than the Union employees; that unless Naquin was willing to meet such Union standards in the treatment of its employees such fact would be publicized by the Union as permitted by law. In the letter Naquin was further advised that the Union did not desire that Naquin coerce or interfere with its employees in their right to join the Union or not, said employees having [772]*772previously refused to join the Union; and, furthermore, Naquin was advised that the Union was not requesting that Naquin enter into a collective bargaining agreement with it. The letter further advised Naquin that upon failure to hear from it within the next five days it would be assumed by the Union that Naquin had decided not to meet the Union standards. Naquin did not reply to this letter of the Union and on April 6, 1960 the Union placed two pickets on the construction job site carrying picket signs reading: “Employees of Leon Naquin & Son Electric Shop do not receive Union wages and benefits” and “Substandard wages and benefits destroy our higher Union standards”. Both of these notices were signed by Local No. 130, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, AFL-CIO. Immediately after pickets appeared on the job they distributed pamphlets to the public and to the employees working on the job in which it was asserted there was a dispute between the Union and Leon Naquin and Son Electric Shop on the W. S. La-fargue Elementary School, Thibodaux, Louisiana job; that the employees of Naquin had exercised their right and had indicated no interest in affiliating with the Union or any other labor organization; that, however, the wages and conditions of employment received by the employees of Naquin were below those which had been established by the Union for the performance of similar work; that the Union could not improve or sustain the standards obtained by it as long as there were employees in the industry receiving less; that it was a decision to be made by the individual as to whether or not support would be accorded to the Union by refraining from patronizing Naquin during the dispute, but hope was expressed that such support would be given.

Immediately following the placing of pickets on the job site, all the employees of Barksdale and LeBlanc and all other subcontractors, except Naquin, refused to report for work and refused to work as long as pickets were on the job site. Picketing continued until April 11, 1960 when the Court below, on the petitions of appellees, issued a temporary restraining order enjoining the Union from further picketing. The Defendant filed a number of exceptions which were overruled and filed a motion to dissolve. Following a hearing, the Trial Court rendered judgment on April 21, 1960 which was read and signed in open court April 22, 1960 refusing the motion to dissolve the temporary restraining order issued on April 14, 1960 and making absolute the rule for a preliminary injunction and “accordingly that a preliminary injunction issue herein as prayed for upon plaintiff furnishing bond according to law in the sum of one thousand and no/100 ($1000.00) Dollars.”

From these judgments the Union appealed to the Supreme Court of Louisiana and the cases were transferred by that Court to this Court under the recent constitutional changes giving jurisdiction of such appeals to this Court.

Appellant contends the State Court was without jurisdiction over the subject matter in controversy and alternatively maintains that picketing in the manner in which same was done in the instant case was lawful and not violative of any law or policy of the State. Appellees maintain that there is no “labor dispute” as such which would place jurisdiction in the National Labor Relations Board as contended by appellant, therefore the State Court and not the N.L. R.B. had jurisdiction over the matter and appellees maintain that the picketing, while admittedly peaceful, caused them irreparable damage and thus was illegal and properly restrained.

As observed by Mr. Justice Jackson in the case of Garner v. Teamsters, Chauffeurs and Helpers, etc., 346 U.S. 485, 74 S.Ct. 161, 98 L.Ed. 228:

“The national Labor Management Relations Act, as we have before pointed out, leaves much to the states, though Congress has refrained from telling us how much. We must spell out from [773]*773conflicting indications of congressional will the area in which state action is still permissible.”

From a reading of the National Labor Relations Act it is difficult to determine the exclusivity of jurisdiction granted to the Board in controversies involving labor and management in a business affected with interstate commerce. There seems, however, to be no question under the provisions of 29 U.S.C.A. § 141 et seq. that with certain exceptions the N.L.R.B. is vested with exclusive jurisdiction to determine unfair labor practices where there exists a bona fide labor dispute. Paragraph (c), 29 U.S. C.A. § 113 provides:

“The term ‘labor dispute’ includes any controversy concerning terms or conditions of employment, or concerning the association or representation of persons in negotiating, fixing, maintaining, changing, or seeking to arrange terms or conditions of employment, regardless of whether or not the disputants stand in the proximate relation of employer and employee.”

Under Section 160 of the Act the Board is vested with jurisdiction to prevent any person engaging in any labor practice during or as a result of a labor dispute.

As an exception to the exclusivity of jurisdiction conferred upon N.L.R.B. by Congress, the United States Supreme Court in the recent case of Charles Dowd Box Co. v. Courtney, 368 U.S. S02, 82 S.Ct.

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143 So. 2d 770, 1962 La. App. LEXIS 2193, 45 Lab. Cas. (CCH) 17,586, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/barksdale-leblanc-v-local-no-130-international-brotherhood-of-lactapp-1962.