Bell v. Rogers

107 N.E.2d 136, 63 Ohio Law. Abs. 385
CourtSummit County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedJune 7, 1952
DocketNo. 184846
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 107 N.E.2d 136 (Bell v. Rogers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Summit County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bell v. Rogers, 107 N.E.2d 136, 63 Ohio Law. Abs. 385 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1952).

Opinion

OPINION

By WATTERS, J.

Conclusions of Fact and Law.

Plaintiff, Peter J. Bell, has been in the beauty shop supply business for a number of years.

Early this year his truck driver and four of his salesmen who called on the beauty operators of Summit, Lorain, Wayne, Medina and Stark Counties, signed up with and joined the defendant Union, of which James Rogers is the business agent. A competitor of Bell known as the K. and J. Beauty Supply had already unionized some time before that.

[387]*387The' four salesmen who signed up were Reese, Cox, Weeks and Jackson, and the truck driver or delivery boy Urich.

In addition, the employees were salesmen Humbert and Kile, a stockroom and handy man Richert, and I believe two office girls, a Mrs. Woofter and Mrs. Sullivan.

Bell was requested to negotiate a contract, but nothing came of it, and the five members named above voted to strike, and picketing started March 14 or 15, 1952. Four of the members became active as pickets and otherwise for the union, along with Rogers, while Jackson continued to work for Bell along with the employees loyal to Bell. This caused considerable bitterness naturally between the two groups or factions. '

The plaintiff’s business is conducted in a one story building at 93 N. Main Street, about sixty feet wide and one hundred twenty feet in depth. The rear is upon Maiden Lane Alley (public) about twenty feet wide.

The picketing continued through the day and night, twenty-four hours, at the place of business. The reason for this does not clearly appear, except it appears that the Bell group have in some instances worked late at night getting orders ready. It would have been more sensible if they had by agreement worked a reasonable day and the pickets likewise.

During the day there were usually two pickets of the four mentioned on at one time in front, with Rogers actively looking in on the situation from time to time.

Bell has delivered most of his orders since picketing started through the mail. However many customers came to the store to purchase supplies during day-time working hours. With such persons the pickets, who knew most of the customers, discussed the dispute, but there were no threats of violence or intimidation and no violence.

Many customers were told that if they continued to purchase from Bell, their places of business (beauty shops) would be picketed.

Many customers were called upon by Rogers and others of the four and told that if they purchased from Bell, or did not return purchases made of him, their beauty shops would be picketed.

In only one instance did such picketing actually occur at a beauty shop for several hours only, when it was discontinued.

Some customers were followed to their place of business where they were told to stop buying of Bell, or to return their purchase, or their place would be picketed. This phase of the case is discussed under the law findings later.

On one occasion there was some .-jostling of one Don Houlton, [388]*388son of one of the lady employees, by two of the pickets in front, near the door, after words and some name calling was exchanged by him and them. The two pickets have been charged with assault and battery in Municipal Court and are awaiting trial. Therefore I will not discuss it in any degree, or the merits thereof. Civilly it was of course not permissible under any right of peaceful picketing, but was an isolated flare-up of no great seriousness.

There was some spotty evidence about pickets parking their cars in the public alley back of the building in the vicinity of Bell’s back door. To clear up that situation no picket car may be parked or operated by a picket or on his behalf in any such manner as to interfere with the loading or unloading, or ingress or egress of any car or truck entering or leaving said alley on business with Bell, or the driver of said car or truck.

The telephone wires come off a pole at a point about three feet over the roof. Said pole being at the rear of the building and almost flush with the rear wall. The wires extended toward Main Street (west) lengthwise of the roof and about three feet above it, and entered the building at the upper front wall just about eight feet üp from the sidewalk at the upper southwest corner of the building. Anyone could easily climb the pole to the roof by means of the metal bar-steps placed alternately on the pole as commonly seen on telephone poles for climbing purposes.

The evidence shows that the two wires about two inches apart were cut, once right at the pole, then next in the center of the roof, and the last time, where they entered the front part of the front wall. There were three different cuttings at different intervals of time apart.

Plaintiff claimed that the defendants cut the wires. The defendants claimed that the plaintiff cut them.

The first cutting was repaired at midnight for Bell by a man procured by one Craig Martin, who he named as a Williard J. Morris, but Morris did not appear here as a witness. Martin told a wierd and mysterious tale which I will not attempt to repeat here.

The next time Bell himself repaired them from the roof, or he may have repaired them the first time — it is immaterial which. The third time the telephone company repaired them after they had been cut some four or five weeks. In the meantime the evidence showed that Bell used the phor.e in the business place next door.

The court cannot determine from the mere fact that the phone wires were cut, who cut them. The union telephone [389]*389repair men of course refused to cross the picket line, which is their custom, and apparently the telephone company can't do anything about it without the agreement of its union officers.

However the decree shall contain an order of this court binding upon the defendants and the defendant union to withdraw its picket line if phone service is interrupted at Bell’s through cutting of the wires by unknown persons or known persons, or any other cause, for a period of time necessary to repair its service, said time of withdrawal to be fixed by counsel, and in case of inability of counsel to agree on the time, the court will set it, at the convenience of the telephone company.

At one or two times during the picketing Bell posted a sign on the inside of his window in front reading in substance “Open for Business,” the pickets placed a sign or signs over it reading in substance “Closed for Business.” This occurrence or occurrences was or were not permissible under the free speech doctrine, as he was open for business, and the pickets’ signs were false. Although those occurrences were early in the picketing, they were improper and the court enjoins such proceedings.

The evidence shows the following of salesmen’s and other employees’ cars by pickets and Rogers, in their cars, at a hazardous and dangerous distance between cars.

The defendants no doubt have the lawful right to follow salesmen and customers at a safe distance behind so as to ascertain their customers for the purpose of acquainting those persons with the dispute in a lawful manner. But they have no lawful right to harass said salesmen or customers by trailing them in a dangerous and hazardous manner, causing them in some instances to pull over and stop, and thus limiting their freedom of movement.

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Related

C. Comella, Inc. v. United Farm Workers Organizing Committee
292 N.E.2d 647 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1972)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
107 N.E.2d 136, 63 Ohio Law. Abs. 385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bell-v-rogers-ohctcomplsummit-1952.