Baton Rouge Firefighters' Ass'n, Local 557 v. Baton Rouge Municipal Fire & Police Civil Service Board

167 So. 2d 482, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1940
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 1, 1964
DocketNo. 6179
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 167 So. 2d 482 (Baton Rouge Firefighters' Ass'n, Local 557 v. Baton Rouge Municipal Fire & Police Civil Service Board) 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
Baton Rouge Firefighters' Ass'n, Local 557 v. Baton Rouge Municipal Fire & Police Civil Service Board, 167 So. 2d 482, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1940 (La. Ct. App. 1964).

Opinion

ELLIS, Judge.

This suit was instituted by the Baton Rouge Firefighters’ Association, Local 557 AFL-CIO a voluntary unincorporated association, in an effort to obtain an injunction restraining Baton Rouge Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board and its members, individually, from enforcing an order issued by said defendants on September 6, 1963. A temporary restraining order was obtained by plaintiff. Upon the trial of the rule for a preliminary injunction, the case was heard in its entirety. It was submitted on the testimony of three union members and stipulations of fact submitted by opposing counsel. Plaintiff’s demands were rejected in the trial court and a devolutive appeal was perfected by plaintiff.

The stipulations are as follows:

“MR. AVANT: It is stipulated that for many years prior to July 10, 1963, which was the date of the official Fire Department election which the charges in this suit are concerned with, it was the unwritten custom of the Baton Rouge Firefighters Association, Local No. 557, to have a Union election to designate a Union member as the Union nominee for the office of member of the Baton Rouge Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board; that a similar custom existed within said Union with regard to the election of a representative from the Fire Department to the City-Parish Employees Retirement Board; that pursuant to this custom, the Union members would support the Union nominee in the official election for such offices and that no Union member would offer themselves as candidate for such offices in opposition to the Union nominee.
“It is further stipulated that when F. D. Sylvest was elected to the Baton Rouge Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board that he was a Union member, that he sought the Union nomination, he obtained the Union nomination in the Union election, and thus did receive the benefit of that custom in that no other Union member ran against him and he was elected to that office without opposition.
“It is further stipulated that when F. D. Sylvest offered himself as a candidate in the official Fire Department election of July 10, 1963, for Fire Department representative on the Baton Rouge Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board that that was the first time that any Union member had ever offered himself as a candidate in opposition to a Union nominee in an elections pertaining to the Fire Department.
“It is further stipulated that all parties to this litigation agree to maintain the status quo pending a final determination on the merits herein; that is to say, that the plaintiff Union and its members agree that no action of a disciplinary nature will be taken within the Union against F. D. Sylvest during the pend-ency of this litigation, nor will any effort be made to remove F. D. Sylvest from the Union during the pendency of this litigation because of his action in offering himself as a candidate in the election of July 10, 1963, in opposition to the Union nominee; that the defendants agree that the plaintiff Union may go about its business and conduct its regular and routine business, [484]*484or any special business that it may have in the ordinary and customary fashion during the pendency of this litigation, and that no charges will be made about that as long as the plaintiff lives up to this stipulation that no disciplinary action will be taken against F. D. Sylvest during the pendency of this suit because of his activity in offering himself as a candidate as aforesaid. '
“It is further agreed that in view of the above stipulation that the need for the temporary restraining order previously obtained herein by the plaintiffs is no longer in existence and that therefore the same, by consent, is recalled and set aside and it is further agreed that the hearing on the rule for preliminary injunction be continued from this date until one week from today, which will be October 21, 1963.
“MR. BARKER: We so stipulate.”

The ruling or the order of the Board complained of, in its entirety reads as follows:

“The Board has considered the problem before it at length. It has concluded that the policy followed by Local No. 557, insofar as it involves punitive action, is not reasonable or fair and that it does impede and hamper the free and full operation of the Civil Service System.
“It has discussed at length possible alternatives and has concluded to adopt a rule prescribing the method of election in both Departments, so as to standardize the procedure followed and so as to prevent the repetition of a situation the same as, or similar to, the one now under investigation.
“The Board has no desire to interfere with the internal affairs of Local No. 557; it feels, that Local No. 557 has, in the past, contributed greatly to the operation of the Fire Department and the Board wishes to cooperate with the Local for the benefit of the Civil Service System and of the membership of the Department.
“Pending the adoption of the rule referred to, however, the Board has the obligation of protecting the rights of individuals and after considering a number of alternatives, has reluctantly adopted the following order.
“It is ordered that all members of the Baton Rouge Fire Department immediately discontinue any pending disciplinary action against Captain F. D. Sylvest arising out of his recent candidacy for election to this Board; it is further ordered that no further action or punitive steps, whether formal or informal be taken against him and specifically that members of the Fire Department who are also members of Local No. 557,1.A.F.F., discontinue the pending disciplinary proceedings.”

The pertinent portion of the notice issued by the Grievance Committee and the Executive Board of the Union reads as follows:

“As you know, you allowed your name to appear on the Ballot for Civil Service Representative from the Baton Rouge Fire Department on July 10, 1963, in an election held at Central Fire Station.
“I am sure you are aware of the policy of Firefighters Local 557 to-have one nominee from the local. Anyone wishing to receive the endorsement of this local can come before the body and be considered. You had this opportunity, however, for some reason, you didn’t choose to come before this body to seek its endorsement.
“At the Regular Meeting of Local 557 on August 5, 1963, at Union Hall located at Seneca and Plank Road, there was a motion made and passed instructing this officer of Local 557 to write you a letter informing you that you have been charged with Misconduct in vio[485]*485lation of Article VIII, Sections 1 and 10 of the constitution and by-laws of the Local 557, I.A.F.F.-A.F.L.-C.I.O.
“Article VII, Section 2 sets up the Trial Board composed of members of the Grievance Committee and members of the Executive Board.
******
“You are hereby notified that a hearing before this committee will be held on August 29, 1963, 4:00 P.M. at 429 Government Street, in the office of Louisiana A.F.L.-C.I.O. to hear your reply to the above charge. This committee will then report same to Local 557 for action.”

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

City of Opelousas v. Scrantz
360 So. 2d 1379 (Louisiana Court of Appeal, 1978)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
167 So. 2d 482, 1964 La. App. LEXIS 1940, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baton-rouge-firefighters-assn-local-557-v-baton-rouge-municipal-fire-lactapp-1964.