Ferrelli v. Leach

186 N.E.2d 868, 89 Ohio Law. Abs. 545, 1962 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 262
CourtCourt of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division
DecidedAugust 8, 1962
DocketNos. 210711, 210868, 211095
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 186 N.E.2d 868 (Ferrelli v. Leach) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Common Pleas of Ohio, Franklin County, Civil Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ferrelli v. Leach, 186 N.E.2d 868, 89 Ohio Law. Abs. 545, 1962 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 262 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1962).

Opinion

Leach, J.

These three cases were argued and submitted to this Court at the same time as involving identical or at leas! similar questions. The basic issue presented in each case is whether a former employee of the Marble Cliff Quarries Company, who retired or was retired on reaching the age of sixty-five under a pension program which was a part of a collectivf bargaining agreement between Marble Cliff and the employees union, was thereafter entitled to receive unemployment com pensation.

For the sake of simplicity, the former employees will b( referred to herein as claimants, the Marble Cliff Quarries Com pany as the employer, the Administrator of the Bureau o: [547]*547Unemployment Compensation as the Administrator and the Board of Review of the Burean of Unemployment Compensation as the Board.

In each case the application of the claimant for unemployment benefits was allowed by the Administrator, both on original application and on reconsideration, on the basis that “if an individual is forced to retire” or “forced to leave his job” because of his age, the “established bureau policy stipulated” that “no disqualification will be imposed,” and “it will be held that he was involuntarily unemployed.”

In the Ferrelli case, on appeal to the Board, the decision of the Administrator was reversed by a referee of the Board, and the application of the claimant to institute a further appeal to the Board was disallowed by the Board, one member dissenting. Thereafter, claimant Ferrelli appealed to this court under the provisions of Section 4141.28, Revised Code.

In the Buzzelli case, on appeal to the Board, the decision of the Administrator was reversed by a referee of the Board and an application of the claimant to institute further appeal from the decision of the referee having been allowed by the Board, the decision of the referee thereafter was affirmed by the Board and benefits denied, one member dissenting. Thereafter claimant, Buzzelli, appealed to this court.

In case No. 211,095, involving claimant DTppolito, on appeal to the Board, the decision of the Administrator was affirmed by the referee of the Board, but on further appeal to the Board the decision of the referee affirming the decision on reconsideration of the Administrator was reversed and benefit rights were suspended as of the beginning date of claimant D ’Ippolito’s benefit year and for the duration of the unemployment caused by his separation from Marble Cliff Quarries Company. The claim for the week ending April 23, 1960, was disallowed for the additional reason that claimant D ’Ippolito, having undergone surgery for a hernia, was unable to work, according to medical proof, until May 23,1960. In the case of claimant DTppolito, an appeal to this court was then taken by the Administrator.

It is conceded by the Administrator, who is the appellant, as to the claim of DTppolito, that he was not able to work in the week ending April 23,1960 and, therefore, the Administrator [548]*548¡in such appeal is not objecting1 to the order of the Board denying the claim for the week «ending April 23, 1960 on snch basis.

By labor agreement of January 21, 1960, the employer ireeognized Local 23, United Stone & Allied Products Workers «of America, AFL-CIO as the “exclusive bargaining agent for .all employees, for the purposes of collective bargaining with irespect to rates of pay, wages, hours of work and other conditions of employment” Reference is made in such labor agreement to “the pension plan” negotiated in connection with this agreement.

The pension plan in question is a non-contributory pension agreement, the entire cost of which is taken care of by the employer. Under the terms of this agreement all regular hourly employees “are eligible to retire and receive pension payments upon completing 15 years of continuous service with the company and upon attaining the age of 65 years or more.” The pension agreement further provides:

“a. Any employee who shall have completed the requirements for eligibility as provided in paragraph 2 above may elect to retire at age 65 and upon such election shall have the unqualified right to retire under the provisions hereof.
“If an employee otherwise eligible to retire wishes to continue in his employment and if the Company and the Union are agreeable thereto, such employee may continue in his employment after age 65 until such time as such employee shall reach age 68 (at which time his retirement shall be mandatory), or until such time as such employee shall elect to retire, or until such time as the Company or the Union no longer consents to his continued employment, at which time such employee shall be retired under the terms and provisions hereof.

Those employees on the payroll as of January 1, 1955, who, upon reaching age 68 do not have at least 15 years continuous service, will be retired at age 68 with 15 years service credited to them.

“Any employee hired after January 1, 1955, who upon reaching age 68 does not have 15 years continuous service will nevertheless be retired at age 68 with no pension.
“Notice by an employee of his election to retire, or notice by the Company or the Union that it no longer consents to continue in employment an employee eligible for retirement, [549]*549shall be given to a Pension Board. The Pension Board shall consist of two (2) members of management and two (2) members of the local Union. The Pension Board will review the notice by an employee of election to retire or the notice by the Company or by the Union that it no longer consents to continue an eligible employee in employment and will report its findings with respect to eligibility for pension to the Executive Committee for payment.
“In case of disagreement under this plan as to age of an employee, years of continuous service or any other matter on interpretation of this agreement, such disagreements will be settled through the grievance procedure as provided in the contract between the Company and the Union covering wages and working conditions starting with the Fifth Step E.”

Each of the claimants therein had completed more than 15 years of continuous service with the employer and had attained the age of 65 years, and thus were “eligible” to retire on the pension therein provided.

By the terms of the pension agreement, retirement at age 68 was mandatory as to all employees under all circumstances, whether “eligible” to retirement on a pension or not. Those employees who had attained age 65 but not yet 68 and who were not “eligible” to retire, apparently could only be discharged for cause. (See Article XIII, Section 1, Labor Agreement.) Those employees within this same age bracket, over 65 but under 68, who were “eligible” to retire had an unqualified right to retire but not an unqualified right to continue in employment until age 68. By the terms of the agreement, an employee “eligible” to retire upon reaching age 65 could continue in his employment only “if the Company and the Union are agreeable thereto” and only “until such time as the Company or the Union no longer consents to his continued employment.”

The facts involved in the Ferrelli case and the Buzzelli case are basically the same.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Caudill v. Ashland Oil Co.
459 N.E.2d 922 (Clermont County Court of Common Pleas, 1983)
Richardson v. Maine Employment Security Commission
229 A.2d 326 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1967)
Fahl v. Board of Review
207 N.E.2d 774 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 1965)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
186 N.E.2d 868, 89 Ohio Law. Abs. 545, 1962 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 262, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ferrelli-v-leach-ohctcomplfrankl-1962.