Case v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 1547

438 F. Supp. 856, 96 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2725
CourtDistrict Court, D. Alaska
DecidedOctober 13, 1977
DocketCiv. No. A77-65
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 438 F. Supp. 856 (Case v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 1547) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Alaska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Case v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union No. 1547, 438 F. Supp. 856, 96 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2725 (D. Alaska 1977).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

VON DER HEYDT, Chief Judge.

THIS CAUSE comes before the court on plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment and motion to file an amended complaint.1

Plaintiffs are individual members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 1547 (hereinafter IBEW local or local union). Defendants are the local union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (hereinafter IBEW or international union) and individual officers of both the IBEW local and international union.2 Third party defendant is the local chapter of an organization which represents employers in the electrical industry. This organization frequently negotiates and contracts on behalf of employers of IBEW members with the IBEW on labor/management matters. It appears that this arrangement has succeeded in promoting labor peace in the industry. See generally Parks v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 314 F.2d 886, 894 (4th Cir. 1963).

In 1974 a resolution was passed at a convention of the IBEW authorizing the International officers to “negotiate” with NECA for improvements in pension benefits paid to the National Electrical Benefit Fund (NEBF). This fund essentially is a pension fund for IBEW members which is funded by NECA members.

In December, 1976, the local union received notice that a contract between the IBEW and NECA had been entered into. The international union required the local union to incorporate the terms of the new contract into the local contracts. Those terms admittedly and obviously involved some concessions by the IBEW for which contributions to the pension fund were increased from $30,000,000 per year to $90,-000,000 per year. The effective date of the new contract was July 1, 1977.

The essence of the complaint by these individuals is that under the international union’s constitution the members of the local union were required to vote on the new contract before it was effective. It is uncontradicted that neither this local nor any other was given the right to vote on this contract.

In addition the complaint states claims based on the union discipline of individual members and failure to inform union members of their rights.

I. Jurisdiction

Contract Claims

In its memorandum issued on plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction the court considered certain jurisdictional issues. It declined to rule upon those issues at that time, however, as the motion was deemed not well taken substantively. Those issues must now be resolved.

Plaintiffs’ first basis for jurisdiction is § 301 of the Labor-Management Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 185. Their contention is that the constitution forms a contract between the international union and its members which provides a basis for a § 301 claim. While some courts, have so held, see Parks v. IBEW, 314 F.2d 886, 914-915 (4th Cir. 1965), those cases have generally involved actions between local un[859]*859ions and their parent union. In the Ninth Circuit it is well established that in an action between individuals and their union over issues unrelated to a collective bargaining agreement, the constitution will not support § 301 jurisdiction. Hotel and Restaurant Employees Local 400 v. Svacek, 431 F.2d 705, 706 (9th Cir. 1970). Not answered definitively in this Circuit is whether the constitution provides a basis for jurisdiction under § 301 when the dispute is between individuals and the union over their constitutional rights yet also relates to a collective bargaining agreement such as the present case. The court holds that it does not.

The basis for this holding is found in the language of Svacek, supra. In that case the court stated “Nor do we believe that it was the intent of Congress for the courts to use the Labor Management Relations Act to police intra-union problems.” Id. at 706. This suit, as between the individuals and their union, although relating to a collective bargaining agreement, is essentially an intra-union dispute over constitutional or statutory rights. Jurisdiction does not lie under § 301 for such disputes. See also Smith v. United Mine Workers, 493 F.2d 1241, 1244 (10th Cir. 1974).

The second basis for jurisdiction is § 101 of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, 29 U.S.C. § 411. It is asserted under this claim that these members have been denied the equal right to vote as is required by § 101. The claim here, however, is not that these union members have been denied rights conferred on others. Rather they contend that no one has been given this right. In Calhoon v. Harvey, 379 U.S. 134, 139, 85 S.Ct. 292, 295, 13 L.Ed.2d 190 (1964), the Supreme Court stated in a § 101 case that

The complaining union members here have not been discriminated against in any way and have been denied no privilege or right to vote or nominate which the union has granted to others.

Based on this rationale the Court held that there was no claim under § 101. This reasoning has been adopted by other courts in circumstances similar to that herein. See Aikens v. Abel, 373 F.Supp. 425, 434 (W.D.Penn.1974); Cf. Lux v. Blackman, 546 F.2d 713, 716 (7th Cir. 1976); Smith v. United Mine Workers, 493 F.2d 1241, 1244 (10th Cir. 1974). Whether or not these members were treated properly or fairly, they were treated equally and there is no § 101 claim.

As the final basis for the claim plaintiffs allege a violation of § 501 of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, 29 U.S.C. § 501. Defendants assert that § 501 may only be invoked to protect financial or monetary trust obligations. Plaintiffs assert a broader reading. The court notes that here again the issue squarely presented remains unresolved in this Circuit. Kerr v. Shanks, 466 F.2d 1271, 1275 n; 2 (9th Cir. 1972). For reasons that subsequently appear the court is not compelled to reach this issue with regard to the injunctive relief sought.

Assuming that jurisdiction is appropriate under § 501 and that plaintiffs are successful in their claim they have requested two types of remedies which relate to the NECA-IBEW contract. In both their first amended complaint and proposed second amended complaint they seek a declaratory judgment and injunctive relief.

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438 F. Supp. 856, 96 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2725, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/case-v-international-brotherhood-of-electrical-workers-local-union-no-akd-1977.