Cox's Food Center, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local No. 1653

457 P.2d 418, 93 Idaho 179, 1969 Ida. LEXIS 280, 71 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3111
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 9, 1969
DocketNo. 10238
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 457 P.2d 418 (Cox's Food Center, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local No. 1653) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cox's Food Center, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local No. 1653, 457 P.2d 418, 93 Idaho 179, 1969 Ida. LEXIS 280, 71 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3111 (Idaho 1969).

Opinion

SHEPARD, Justice.

This case has previously been before this Court, Cox’s Food Center, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local No. 1653, 91 Idaho 274, 420 P.2d 645 (1966). The facts under which this case arose are amply set forth in our original decision and, therefore, only a summary is required here, together with facts occurring subsequent to the issuance of the original opinion.

In 1961, appellant was engaged in the retail grocery business and contracted with respondent Local No. 1653 as bargaining agent for appellant’s employees. The con[180]*180tract terminated and during February, 1962, the respondents picketed appellant’s store.

Local No. 1439 filed an unfair labor practice charge against the store with the National Labor Relations Board. That case was dismissed and the decision was sustained upon appeal. In March of 1962, appellant herein filed a petition with the NLRB requesting it to proceed under its authority. The unions, respondents herein, by letter to the NLRB, disclaimed any interests in representing the employees of appellant in connection with any decertification election and the NLRB dismissed appellant’s petition. In November, 1962, appellant filed another petition with the NLRB seeking a determination of the jurisdiction of the NLRB and the NLRB dismissed that petition on the basis that the union no longer claimed to represent appellant’s employees.

In the meantime, on May 25, 1962, appellant instituted this action seeking injunctive relief against the picketing and general and punitive damages because of loss of business. On April 11, 1963, the district court, after findings of fact, ruled that it had jurisdiction and issued a temporary injunction. Not until November 12, 1963 did the union answer the complaint asserting that the picketing was peaceful, that it constituted an exercise of free speech, that appellant’s gross business was in excess of $500,000 a year, and that exclusive jurisdiction of the controversy was vested in the NLRB. Not until January and February of 1964 were the depositions of officers and employees of appellant taken concerning appellant’s volume of business for the years 1960, 1961 and 1962.

On April 2, 1964, respondents filed a motion to dissolve the injunction, a motion for summary judgment, and thereafter a further motion for attorneys’ fees. On September 4, 1964, the trial court denied the motion for summary judgment, but dissolved the temporary injunction and dismissed the action on the basis that the jurisdiction over the controversy was exclusively in the NLRB. From that decision of the trial court, both parties appealed, resulting in this Court’s opinion dated November 25, 1966, Cox’s Food Center, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local No. 1653, supra. That opinion directed the trial court to request an advisory opinion concerning jurisdiction from the NLRB. On April 24, 1967, the NLRB rendered its advisory opinion and stated that it would assert jurisdiction.

On June 21, 1967, appellant filed with the NLRB a charge of unfair labor practices. On July 26, 1967, the NLRB refused to issue a complaint on said charge because it was filed more than six months after the events in question. An appeal thereon was denied and the parties stipulated that the appellate channels had been exhausted.

The matter was thereupon returned to the Idaho district court. That court on January 27, 1968 ruled that exclusive jurisdiction was vested in the NLRB and dismissed the action for lack of jurisdiction over the subject matter. It concurrently dissolved the temporary injunction and denied the unions’ motion for attorneys’ fees. The denial of attorneys’ fees was based (1) that the motion was premature since the dismissal might be appealed; (2) that the dissolution of the injunction was and is incidental to the dismissal of the cause for lack of jurisdiction, which dismissal automatically carries with it dissolution of the injunction; and (3) that the unions were guilty of laches in delaying the taking of the depositions of Cox and his accountant until after the issuance of the temporary injunction by the court.

From the judgment of the district court of January 27, 1968, both parties appeal. Appellant contends the assertion of jurisdiction by the NLRB was erroneous and that the district court should not have deferred to that jurisdiction. Respondent unions, on their cross-appeal, contend that the court erred in denying them attorney fees.

Essentially, appellant contends that the NLRB applied its $500,000 annual dollar [181]*181volume jurisdictional criteria at an improper point in time. Appellant made the identical contention in its initial appeal, the matter was treated in the original opinion, and our opinion has not changed. Appellant concedes that under the criteria announced in Joseph McSweeney & Sons, Inc., 119 NLRB 1399 (1958), the NLRB applies its jurisdictional standards based on past experience of an employer rather than its future operations, but contends that “past experience” is to be strictly construed, and that the twelve month period for applying the $500,000 annual dollar volume test must be that period immediately prior to the time that objection to jurisdiction is made. In this case, the objection to jurisdiction was filed November 8, 1963, while the picketing out of which the action arose began February 16, 1962. The NLRB used the calendar year 1961 in applying its jurisdictional standards. As we noted in our previous decision, the sweeping jurisdiction conferred on the NLRB by 29 U.S.C.A. § 160(a), gives broad latitude to the NLRB in determining whether labor situations may “affect commerce” and thus bring them under the board’s jurisdiction. The statute militates against any rigid mechanistic test for the determination of that jurisdiction and the $500,000 annual volume test for retail businesses is at best a convenient rule of thumb. Nowhere is any fixed time of application enunciated.

Appellant contends that three decisions of the board require a fixed time of application of the volume test. Building and Construction Trades Council of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, 139 NLRB 1370 (1962), does not support appellant’s contention. It deals with the $50,000 inflow-outflow test for jurisdiction which is used as a standard for non-retail businesses. That decision stated:

“Since the out-of-State inflow of Developers’ subcontractors at the Yucaipa and Dunlap projects may be added, a total inflow from outside the State of at least $50,000 appears. This is sufficient to satisfy the applicable jurisdictional standard.”

It further appears that although the decision as above quoted was reached on a different standard, the board went down on to say:

“As is now well established, ‘the Board’s jurisdictional criteria expressed in terms of annual dollar volume of business do not literally require evidentiary data respecting any certain 12-month period of operations, but may be satisfied, for example, by projecting or estimating commerce data for an appropriate annual period.’ So far as appears from this record, Bidney’s and Developers’ performance during the 12-month period ending November 30, 1961, its out-of-State purchases included, is representative of the scope of its annual operations.”

Appellant next cites Painters Local Union No. 249, Brotherhood of Painters, 136 NLRB 176 (1962).

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Bluebook (online)
457 P.2d 418, 93 Idaho 179, 1969 Ida. LEXIS 280, 71 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3111, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/coxs-food-center-inc-v-retail-clerks-union-local-no-1653-idaho-1969.