Chief Freight Lines Co. v. Local Union No. 886

514 F.2d 572, 89 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2044
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedApril 8, 1975
DocketNo. 74-1291
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 514 F.2d 572 (Chief Freight Lines Co. v. Local Union No. 886) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Chief Freight Lines Co. v. Local Union No. 886, 514 F.2d 572, 89 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2044 (10th Cir. 1975).

Opinion

HOLLOWAY, Circuit Judge.

Teamster Local No. 886 (the Union) and the Southern Area Conference of International Brotherhood of Teamsters (the Conference) appeal from a preliminary injunction against striking and related actions entered under Boys Markets, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local 770, 398 U.S. 235, 90 S.Ct. 1583, 26 L.Ed.2d 199, on application of appellee, The Chief Freight Lines Company (Chief or the Company). The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or the Board) has intervened.

The parties raise three principal questions: (1) whether there were procedural errors or jurisdictional defects in the District Court proceedings requiring reversal; (2) whether the District Court properly held ineffective a stipulation for arbitration and held the arbitral decision under it not final or binding; and (3) whether the injunction is barred by the Norris-LaGuardia Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 101 et seq., or may come within the exception recognized in Boys Markets, where further arbitration is stayed pending completion of NLRB proceedings. With these questions we also consider contentions raised by the Board and the effect of pending proceedings before it. We conclude that the injunction, accompanied by a stay against arbitration proceedings, cannot stand. We therefore must vacate and remand.

Chief is a Class A common carrier of general commodity freight with terminals in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas, Fort Worth and Kansas City. The Union at all times relevant to this case has represented drivers and other employees at Chief’s Oklahoma City Terminal. It is one of a number of locals in nine southern states that constitute the Conference.

The labor dispute concerns representation of approximately eight office employees in Chief’s Oklahoma City Terminal. These employees had not been represented by any union prior to this dispute. Appellants claim that on June 8, 1973, Union officials submitted to Chief a sufficient number of signed authorization cards to entitle the Union to immediate recognition as the bargaining representative of the office employees. The Company, however, has refused to so recognize the Union, contending that the card presentation procedure provided by the collective bargaining agreement did not apply to it in this case, because it was not a “prior signator” to a supplemental agreement covering office employees so as to make the said recognition provisions of the NMFA applicable.

The card recognition provisions in question appear in Article 2, Section 3, of the National Master Freight Agreement, 1970-1973 (the NMFA).1 At the time of this dispute, Chief and the Union were signatories to the NMFA and the Local Freight Forwarding Pickup and Delivery Supplemental Agreement (the Supplemental Agreement) covering drivers and other employees at the Oklahoma City Terminal.2 Chief was not, however, a signatory to a supplemental agreement covering office employees.

After the June 8, 1973 card presentation, a series of fruitless discussions ensued between the Company and the Union. Failing to gain the recognition it sought, the Union, and other Teamster Locals set up picket lines at Oklahoma City and other Chief terminals on June [575]*57522.3 Drivers and other Teamster members refused to cross the picket lines, effectively shutting down operations at those terminals.

On June 25, 1973, Chief filed in the District Court a verified complaint and a motion for a temporary restraining order under § 301 of the Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 185(a). At a hearing on June 26 Chief argued for the restraining order under the Boys Markets exception to the Norris-LaGuardia Act, claiming that the representation issue arose under the NMFA and that it was subject to mandatory arbitration under Article 8 thereof. On the basis of the verified complaint and the statements of counsel, the Court entered the order which decreed an end to the picketing and work stoppage until a further hearing scheduled on July 2.

Hearings were held on July 2 and 3 and during these proceedings the parties agreed upon a settlement stipulation. The stipulation called for withdrawal of the court action and provided instead for arbitration pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement. On filing of the stipulation, the Court dismissed the action without prejudice.

Following the dismissal, the Union initiated the arbitral procedure by submitting a grievance to the Southern Area Multi-State Grievance Committee (the Multi-State Committee) on July 3, 1973 (A 135). On August 20, this Committee deadlocked 3-3 and referred the grievance to the next arbitral level, the Southern Area Conference Grievance Committee (the Area Committee). The Area Committee heard the case on January 28, 1974 and on January 31 issued the following decision:

Local Union 886 will present to the Employer authorization cards for verification. If Local Union 886 represents a majority of the affected employees that were employed as of 6-8-73, the Employer is instructed to apply the National Master Freight Agreement, and the Southern Area Local Freight Forwarding Office Clerical Employee Supplemental Agreement; cost to the Employer. (A 144).

A dispute arose and still continues about this arbitral decision. Chief contended and still maintains that the arbi-tral procedure was not exhausted; that the interpretation issue whether Chief was a “prior signator” under Article 2, Section 3, of the NMFA had not been reached and must be submitted to the National Grievance Committee (A 69-70; 397-99); and that the decision awarded was itself ambiguous (A 69-70, 398), and refused to implement it. Appellants, on the other hand, say the decision is unambiguous and is the final and binding determination contemplated by the stipulation, and that resolution of the interpretation issue, requiring submission to the National Grievance Committee, was not provided for by the stipulation (A 68-69; Brief for Appellants 7). On Chief’s refusal to implement the arbitration decision the Union threatened to strike.

Following the strike threat, Chief returned to the District Court on February 11, 1974, and moved to reopen the dismissed case and applied for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction. The Court reopened the case and, from the verified applications, found that irreparable injury would result to Chief, its employees and the public unless a temporary restraining order against striking and similar acts was immediately entered. A restraining order was entered and the Court set a hearing on the application for a preliminary injunction for February 19. Later, on application of the appellants, the hearing was rescheduled for February 27.

Before the case was reopened, a representation petition was filed by a rival union, The Fifth Wheel Employees’ Association (the Fifth Wheel) on January 28. The Fifth Wheel sought to represent the same 8 office employees in question. Chief asked that the temporary restraining order include a stay of arbitral proceedings in view of the conflicting claims for representation. The [576]*576stay was included in the order. The Board moved to intervene before the February 27 hearing and also requested a stay pending final resolution by it of the representation proceedings and unfair labor practice charges filed by the appellant Union and the Fifth Wheel.4

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Bluebook (online)
514 F.2d 572, 89 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2044, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chief-freight-lines-co-v-local-union-no-886-ca10-1975.