General Committee of Adjustment of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for Missouri-K.-T. R. R. v. Missouri-K.-T. R. Co.

132 F.2d 91, 1942 U.S. App. LEXIS 2541
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedDecember 9, 1942
DocketNo. 10115
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 132 F.2d 91 (General Committee of Adjustment of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for Missouri-K.-T. R. R. v. Missouri-K.-T. R. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
General Committee of Adjustment of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for Missouri-K.-T. R. R. v. Missouri-K.-T. R. Co., 132 F.2d 91, 1942 U.S. App. LEXIS 2541 (5th Cir. 1942).

Opinion

SIBLEY, Circuit Judge.

The appellant, General Committee of Adjustment of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, who will be referred to as the Engineers’ Committee, is a body of men each of whom is chosen by a lodge of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers on the named railroad to represent them in collective bargaining and the handling of grievances with the said railroad, and the Committee has for many years been the duly designated bargaining representative for the craft of engineers on that railroad. The Grievance Committee of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, hereafter referred to [93]*93as the Firemen’s Committee, is a similar body set up by the lodges of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Engine-men on said railroad, and has for many years been the duly designated representative for collective bargaining of the craft of firemen on that railroad. As the background of this controversy, the record shows that since 1918 the craft of engineers and the craft of firemen each has had a formal agreement concerning rules, rates of pay, and working condition with such railroad, which have severally been modified in some particulars by later agreements and interpretations. These formal agreements were made while what is known as the Chicago Joint Agreement between the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen was in effect. This joint agreement between the two unions, made in 1913, undertook to regulate relationships between themselves, including the transfer of firemen to engineer’s work, and viceversa, and contained provision for compulsory and final settlement of any disputes between the two unions. This joint agreement was cancelled by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in 1927, and there is now no union machinery for ending such a dispute between engineer’s and firemen’s crafts as exists here.

The dispute relates to the rules that shall apply in calling firemen, or engineers who have been demoted to firing, to take emergency runs as engineers, or to fill a vacancy in what is called a “pool” of engineers. The engineer’s agreement of 1918, (Art. 38), asserted that the right to make and interpret contracts, rules, rates and working agreements for locomotive engineers shall be vested in the regularly constituted committees of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. The firemen’s agreement (Art. 44) similarly asserted a like right as to firemen and hostlers in the Committees of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen. Yet both agreements contain rules for the demotion of engineers to be firemen, and the promotion of firemen to be engineers, and for their return to their former work. The rules in the two agreements are consistent, indeed substantially identical. Certain interpretations or agreements, favored by the engineers, relative to calling firemen for emergency service as engineers were made in the course of years, which caused dissatisfaction to the firemen. They complained to the railroad, which at first took the position that the matter was for negotiation only with the engineers’ representative,, but the firemen threatened to strike, and the Mediation Board was called in under the provisions of the Railway Labor Act. 45 U.S.C.A. § 155. It invited the Engineers’ Committee to enter the negotiation,, but that Committee refused. An agreement was negotiated under the auspices of the Mediation Board, which was satisfactory to the firemen but not to the engineers. The railroad thereupon, under the procedure prescribed in 45 U.S.C.A. § 156,. cancelled its previous contrary interpretations or agreements with the Engineers’ Committee. The Engineers’ Committee then filed in the district court this petition,, as one arising under the Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C.A. § 151 et seq., in which it claimed for itself, as the bargaining representative of the engineers, the exclusive right to bargain with the railroad on the subject matter in dispute, and that its right has been denied by making the mediated agreement with the Firemen’s Committee which therefore is void; and there being a present definite controversy thereabout, a declaration to the just stated effect is prayed. The Firemen’s Committee was made a party, and it defended the mediation agreement and prayed for a declaration that it was valid and binding on all parties to this cause, subject to a contention that, the Court was without jurisdiction of the subject matter. The Railroad prayed a. declaration of the rights of all parties, for their guidance.

There is an acute controversy-over a rule of service on the railroad which may have daily application. The questions raised are to be determined by the Railway Labor Act, a law of the United States, which is also a law relating to commerce. Jurisdiction therefore exists under 28 U.S.. C.A. § 41 (8); and the remedy by declaratory judgment is applicable, and appropriate; 28 U.S.C.A. § 400. The prohibitions touching injunctions in labor disputes do not apply, for no injunction is sought. No-one is objecting to the two Committee’s appearing as entities, instead of by the names-of the persons composing them. We will-, raise no point about it. See Rule 17, Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. following-section 723c; United Mine Workers of America v. Coronado Coal Co., 259 U.S. 344, 42 S.Ct. 570, 66 L.Ed. 975, 27 A.L.R. 762; Brown v. United States, 276 U.S. 134, 48 S.Ct. 288, 72 L.Ed. 500.

[94]*94As has been stated, the original collective agreements of 1918 affirm a sole right of the Engineers’ Committee to represent the engineers, and of the Firemen’s Committee to represent the firemen. The Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C.A. § 152, Fourth, gives the right to a representative chosen by the majority of a craft or class to represent the whole, whether all are members of a union or not. The right of a representative so chosen is exclusive as against anyone else seeking to represent that craft or any part of it. Virginian Railway Co. v. System Federation No. 40, 300 U.S. 515, 57 S.Ct. 592, 81 L.Ed. 789. A dispute as to who shall vote in the selection is to be settled under Section 152, Ninth. No such dispute exists here. The disputes contemplated by the Act as to be settled or prevented by collective agreement are described generally in Sect. 151a (4) and Sect. 152, First, as those relating to rates of pay, rules, and working conditions. The present dispute is over a rule for calling firemen to emergency work as engineers. The settlement made, under mediation, with the representative of the craft of firemen was not participated in by the representative of the engineers, and the dispute remains unsettled, practically, as to the latter. The Engineers’ Committee contends that the disputed rule relates only to engineers, and is within its exclusive authority to make an agreement. The Firemen’s Committee contends that the firemen are at least equally affected, and that it has a right to agree for the firemen even though the engineers refuse to participate. The District Court, hearing the case without a jury, held with the firemen’s contention.

The Railway Labor Act does not undertake to say what matters shall be considered the business of each particular craft. It does not define the crafts or classes of employees, and forbids any effect to be given classifications made for other purposes by the Interstate Commerce Commission; Section 151, Fifth.

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Bluebook (online)
132 F.2d 91, 1942 U.S. App. LEXIS 2541, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/general-committee-of-adjustment-of-brotherhood-of-locomotive-engineers-for-ca5-1942.