District Lodge 26 of the International Ass'n of MacHinists & Aerospace Workers v. United Technologies Corp.

689 F. Supp. 2d 219, 187 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3345, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13848
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedFebruary 17, 2010
DocketCivil Action 3:09-cv-1494 (JCH)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 689 F. Supp. 2d 219 (District Lodge 26 of the International Ass'n of MacHinists & Aerospace Workers v. United Technologies Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
District Lodge 26 of the International Ass'n of MacHinists & Aerospace Workers v. United Technologies Corp., 689 F. Supp. 2d 219, 187 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3345, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13848 (D. Conn. 2010).

Opinion

AMENDED BENCH TRIAL RULING 1

JANET C. HALL, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

The plaintiff, District Lodge 26 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO (“District 26”), brings this action against defendant United Technologies Corporation, Pratt & Whitney (“Pratt”), alleging that Pratt’s proposed restructuring plans violate the parties’ collective bargaining agreement (“CBA,” or “Agreement”) in two respects. First, District 26 claims that Pratt’s plan for the transfer of work from, and closure of, its Cheshire Engine Center (“Cheshire”) and its Connecticut Airfoils Repair Operations (“CARO”), before the termination of the CBA, violates Letter 22 of the CBA. Letter 22 provides that Pratt will make “every reasonable effort” to keep certain work within the bargaining unit. Second, District 26 claims that these same plans for transfer and closure violate the CBA’s implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

The case was tried to the court for five days between December 21, 2009 and January 13, 2010. 2 Final post-trial submissions were received on January 15, 2010. Oral argument was held on January 27, 2010. Pursuant to Rule 52 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law are set forth below. Based upon these findings, the court concludes that Pratt has breached its obligations both under Letter 22 of the CBA and under the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing.

II. BACKGROUND 3

A. Parties

The defendant, United Technologies Corporation, is organized under the laws *223 of the State of Delaware and is authorized to conduct, and does conduct, business within the State of Connecticut. Pratt & Whitney is an unincorporated division of United Technologies Corporation (“UTC”). Pratt is an “employer” within the meaning of 29 U.S.C. § 152(2), and it is engaged in “commerce” and is in an industry “affecting commerce” within the meaning of 29 U.S.C. §§ 152(6) and (7). Pratt is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of both commercial and military aircraft engines. Pratt also performs maintenance, repair, and overhaul (“MRO”) of both its commercial and military products.

Pratt’s fleet of installed, large commercial jet engines is the oldest of the major commercial jet engine manufacturers. Between 2002 and 2007, Pratt’s market share of installed, large commercial jet engines declined. In 2009, of the three major commercial jet engine manufacturers, Pratt was third in terms of delivery of new, large commercial jet engines. Between 2009 through 2014, Pratt’s share of installed, large commercial jet engines are projected to decline. With respect to commercial jet engine overhaul and repair, worldwide MRO recovery from the economic recession is projected to occur sooner in Asia than in America.

District 26 is an unincorporated association organized for the purpose of representing employees of employers engaged in commerce, including certain employees of the defendant. Its principal office and place of business is located in Kensington, Connecticut. District 26 is the exclusive bargaining agent, along with its constituent Local Lodges 700, 1746, and 1746-A, for employees at Pratt facilities in Connecticut. Specifically, it represents all production and maintenance employees at Pratt facilities in East Hartford, Middle-town, Cheshire, and other Connecticut locations (“ConnOps”). District 26 is a “labor organization” within the meaning of 29 U.S.C. § 185(b). Therefore, this court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 185(a).

Two Pratt facilities that are represented by District 26 are the subject of this litigation. Pratt’s Cheshire Engine Center (“Cheshire”) employs bargaining unit employees that perform overhaul and repair work on both commercial and military engines. Currently, Cheshire bargaining unit employees perform overhauls of Pratt’s PW2000 and PW4000 series commercial engines and overhauls of the F117 military engine. Pratt also performs engine overhaul and repair at other facilities, including a facility in Columbus, Georgia known as the Columbus Engine Center (“CEC” or “Columbus”), and a joint venture facility in Singapore known as Eagle Services Asia (“ESA”). Connecticut Airfoils Repair Operations (“CARO”), located in East Hartford, employs bargaining unit employees who primarily perform turbine airfoil repairs, including repair work on blades and vanes for various commercial and military engines, and also perform certain coating operations in support of the turbine airfoils that it services. Pratt also performs turbine airfoil repair, including coating work, at other facilities, including a facility in Dallas known as the Dallas Airfoil Repair Operations (“DARO”), and joint venture facilities in Japan known as Japan Turbine Technologies (“JTT”) and Singapore known as Turbine Overhaul Services (“TOS”). Under the terms of the restructuring plans that Pratt announced in July 2009, Pratt will begin transferring work out of Cheshire and CARO in late January 2010, 4 with final closure of these facilities *224 occurring at different times in 2010 and 2011.

B. The 2007 Collective Bargaining Agreement

The parties have had a collective bargaining relationship since the early 1940s. On December 3, 2007, Pratt and District 26 entered into their current CBA, which is effective by its terms until midnight on December 5, 2010. UTC is a named party to the Agreement.

The agreement contains the following relevant provisions. Article 1, entitled “Management Functions,” provides:

It is recognized that in addition to other functions and responsibilities, the Company has and will retain the sole right and responsibility to direct the operations of the Company and in this connection to determine the number and location of its plants; the product to be manufactured; the types of work to be performed; the assignment of all work to employees or other persons; the schedules of production; shift schedules and hours of work; the methods, processes and means of manufacturing; and to select, hire, and demote employees, including the right to make and apply rules and regulations for production, discipline, efficiency, and safety unless otherwise hereinafter provided.

Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”), Ex. 1 at Art. 1.

Article 24 of the CBA relates to strike or lockout, and it states in relevant part:

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Related

White v. National Football League
766 F. Supp. 2d 941 (D. Minnesota, 2011)
District Lodge 26 v. United Technologies Corp.
610 F.3d 44 (Second Circuit, 2010)

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Bluebook (online)
689 F. Supp. 2d 219, 187 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3345, 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13848, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/district-lodge-26-of-the-international-assn-of-machinists-aerospace-ctd-2010.