Blandford v. Duthie

128 A. 138, 147 Md. 388, 1925 Md. LEXIS 121
CourtCourt of Appeals of Maryland
DecidedFebruary 12, 1925
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 128 A. 138 (Blandford v. Duthie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blandford v. Duthie, 128 A. 138, 147 Md. 388, 1925 Md. LEXIS 121 (Md. 1925).

Opinions

Adkins, J.,

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The bill of complaint in this oa'se, from decrees in- which these appeals were taken, was filed by Charles W. Blandford and William G. Blandford, trading as ,Yaile & Young, *390 against William K. Duthie and others, individually and as a voluntary, unincorporated association, doing business as, and trading under the name of, Allied Building Trades Council of Baltimore, and certain other local unions and their representatives, and the Benjamin F. Bennett Building Company, a body corporate. The hill sought au injunction against the defendants, other than the Bennett Company, to restrain them from boycotting the business of the plaintiffs.

It alleges that the defendants, other than the Bennett Company, are all members of certain trades unions in Baltimore City, each of said unions being composed of a large number of men whose names and addresses, except those mentioned, axe unknown to plaintiffs, and .all of said unions being voluntary unincorporated associations bonded together for the purposes of their respective trades o>r businesses., and each having elected delegates or members to serve as members of the defendant, the Allied Building Trades Council of Baltimore; that the object and purpose of the formation of said council -is to compel, by ¿whatever means may be necesr sary, the unionizing of the .shops and businesses of the various industries in Baltimore City; that the defendant Edward D. B'ieritz has for many years been known as the principal spokesman for said council; that the business of plaintiffs (sheet metal roofing) is almost entirely connected with the building trades, and about eighty per cent, of it is done with building contractors; that its reputation has been built up during the forty years of its existence, during which time they have been invited to bid on the roofing work of a large portion of the building operations in Baltimore, by owners, architects and general contractors; that for many years plaintiffs have been doing business with, and have been employed by, the said Bennett Company and its predecessors; that in the fall of 1923 said Bennett Company secured the contract for the ’alterations and improvements to he made by Hutzler Brothers on North Howard Street in said city, and plaintiffs being the lowest bidders were awarded by said Bennett Company contracts for the metal roofing' work in connection there *391 with amounting to $11,485, and proceeded to assemble the material and begin the manufacture in their shops of so much of the work embraced in their contracts as could be done there; that for twelve years plaintiffs have conducted an open shop, and have employed their men without regard to their labor affiliations, ,and have always paid wages equal to .and in most instances greater than, those prescribed by labor unions for like work; that they employ fifty men, thirty-five of whom are skilled workmen, some of whom have been in their employ for over thirty years, :a number for ten or fifteen years', and’ none less than four years, all of whom have been satisfied with their wages and working conditions; that numerous attempts have been made by members of labor unions to persuade ©aid employees to become members of unions, without success, although plaintiffs interposed no objections; that in. a number of instances plaintiffs have failed to get contracts where they were the lowest bidders and are convinced that this was due to threats and intimidations made by defendants against those having authority to award contracts; that in April, 1924, a number of said defendants, to wit: the said Bieritz, John L. Lawless, Long, and Duthie visited plaintiffs’ place of business as representatives of the said council, Bieritz explaining to plaintiffs the advantages of organizing their shop, and stating that the council had the sympathy of the builders; that Bieritz said that plaintiffs’ shop: did' not need organization, but it was necessary because of the effect upon others in a similar line of business; that he further stated that there were a number of instances where he had been able to get in touch with contractors before they awarded the jobs and that he had prevented said contractors from awarding the jobs to plaintiffs; and in other instances where jobs were awarded to them he had gotten the promise of the contractors not to1 give plaintiffs any Work in the future; that another representative said “there were many ways whereby your workman could be handicapped and annoyed while at work on building”; that at the close of the interview Bieritz ©aid: “Now, Mr. Bland *392 fotrd, you have to admit that in your ease we have been vetry patient; Mu Baker and I have made several attempts to convince you of the advisability of closing, your1 shop; the time has arrived when definite action has to be taken”; that plaintiffs took all this to. mean that it Was the intention of defendants, in the event plaintiffs did not unionize their shops., to do everything in their power to prevent them from getting business from people with whom they are now and have been doing business for a long time, and from completing contracts already secured; that the following correspondence took place between plaintiffs and the Bennett. Gompany, viz.:

“Baltimore, Md., April 26th, 1924. “Benjamin. E. Bennett Building Company,

“123 S. Howard' Street,

“Baltimore, Md.

“Gentlemen:

“On Thursday, April 24th, 1924, your Mr. B. Erank Bennett verbally requested the writer that our firm discontinue shop work upon the material required to complete the following contracts we have with yon on the Hntzler job:

“Your letter January 30th, 1924. Our acceptance Eeb. 4, 1924.

“Our letter March 29th, 1924. Your acceptance April 5, 1924.

“Our letter April 3rd, 1924. Your letter April 9th, 1924.

“We have given this request careful consideration, and we have concluded that our contractual obligations with you, and the business reputation of this firm covering a period of approximately forty years, compel us to require you to put this request, and' the reasons which prompt you to rescind contracts made with you in good faith, in writing. Upon receipt of such a letter, we will promptly write you our final determination in this connection.

“Very truly yours,

“Vaile & Young.”

*393 “Baltimore, Md., April 28th, 1924.

“Be: Hutzler Brothers Buildings.

“Yaile & Young,

“Bush and Bidgely Streets,

“Baltimore, Maryland.

■“Gentlemen:

“We acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 26th, requesting that we confirm to you in writing our verbal instructions to discontinue shop work now being done under your contract with us on the Hutzler Brothers Buildings.

“The reason for this order has to do with the demands of the Building Trades Council of Baltimore. This Council is composed of all the unions allied with the building trades except the carpenters and bricklayers.

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Bluebook (online)
128 A. 138, 147 Md. 388, 1925 Md. LEXIS 121, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blandford-v-duthie-md-1925.