Harris v. E.F. Hauserman Co.

575 F. Supp. 749, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10626
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedDecember 20, 1983
DocketCiv. A. No. C82-898
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 575 F. Supp. 749 (Harris v. E.F. Hauserman Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harris v. E.F. Hauserman Co., 575 F. Supp. 749, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10626 (N.D. Ohio 1983).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

ANN ALDRICH, District Judge.

Fred Harris asserts that his § 301 claim against his Union should be reinstated in light of the Supreme Court’s holding that a six month statute of limitations should apply to all § 301 suits. Harris asks this Court to reconsider its earlier Order dismissing Harris’ claims against the Union as time-barred. Upon consideration, the Motion is denied.

FACTS

On January 13, 1983, this Court applied the rule of United Parcel Service v. Mitchell, 451 U.S. 56, 101 S.Ct. 1559, 67 L.Ed.2d 732 (1981), and dismissed plaintiff Harris’ complaint against the defendant Furniture Workers of America, Local No. 450 (“Union”) for failure to file within Ohio’s ninety day statute of limitations governing the vacation of an arbitration award. On June 8, 1983, the Supreme Court reversed its holding in Mitchell, supra and ruled that the six month statute of limitations provided in § 10(b) of the National Labor Relations Act should apply to § 301 suits, rather than the various state statutes of limitation which were held applicable under Mitchell. DelCostello v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters, et al., — U.S. -, 103 S.Ct. 2281, 76 L.Ed.2d 476 (1983). Harris contends that his suit was filed within the six month statute of limitations, and his claim against the Union should therefore be reinstated. Only the Union moved to dismiss under Mitchell, supra; Harris’ action is still pending against his employer, E.F. Hauserman Co.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

I. Applicability of DelCostello

Generally decisions are to be applied retroactively unless non-retroactivity is indicated because: 1) the overruling decision establishes a new rule of law, either by overruling clear past precedent on which litigants may have relied, or by deciding an issue of first impression whose resolution was not clearly foreshadowed; 2) the policy underlying the new rule is furthered by non-retroactive application; and 3) substantial inequity will result from retroactive application. Chevron Oil Company v. Hu[751]*751son, 404 U.S. 97, 107, 92 S.Ct. 349, 355, 30 L.Ed.2d 296 (1971).

A. New Precedent

The Supreme Court’s decision to adopt the six month period in § 10(b) is a new rule of law which, by the Supreme Court’s own admission, overrules precedent:

... The analogies suggested in Mitchell both suffer from flaws, not only of legal substance, but more important, of practical application in view of the policies of federal labor law and the practicalities of hybrid § 301/fair representation litigation.

DelCostello, supra 103 S.Ct. at 2291. Although the Supreme Court implies that its decision was not foreshadowed because its earlier holding in Mitchell was limited:

... [W]e expressly limited our consideration to a choice between two state statutes of limitations; we did not address the contention that we should instead borrow a federal statute of limitations; namely § 10(b) ...

(Id. 103 S.Ct. at 2285), Justice Stewart’s well-reasoned concurrence in Mitchell advocating adoption of § 10(b) suggests otherwise. Arguably, the majority’s unwillingness to join in Justice Stewart’s opinion could be interpreted as disposing of the question. On the other hand, the logic of Stewart’s argument became increasingly apparent as courts wrestled with the impracticalities of Mitchell’s majority holding.

B. Policy

The policy behind the DelCostello decision was to provide aggrieved union members a better chance to obtain redress:

... the employee will often be unsophisticated in collective-bargaining matters, ... [y]et state arbitration statutes typically provide very short times in which to sue for vacation of arbitration awards____ We conclude that state limitations periods for vacating arbitration awards fail to provide an aggrieved employee with a satisfactory opportunity to vindicate his rights under § 301 and the fair representation doctrine.

DelCostello 103 S.Ct. at 2291. The effect of the DelCostello decision is to lengthen the union member’s time for filing from the ninety day period, effective in most states, to the more generous six month period. See, DelCostello, supra 103 S.Ct. at 2291 n. 15. (The majority of states have a ninety day period; only two have longer periods.) The Supreme Court, clearly, was aware of this effect to the point of being motivated by it: “Concededly, the very brevity of New York’s 90-day arbitration limitations period was a major factor why,in Mitchell, we preferred it to the six-year statute for breach of contract, but it does not follow that because six years is too long, 90 days is long enough.” Id. 103 S.Ct. at 2291. (Citations omitted). By designating a uniform limitations period for all suits in every state, the decision also comports with efforts to establish a national federal labor policy.

C. Equity

In light of this policy of lengthening the statute of limitations to afford union employees more opportunities for relief, it is inequitable not to apply DelCostello retroactively. The change in law does not work a hardship in this District, where persons who relied on Mitchell and would have been required to file within Ohio’s ninety-day limitation period, will not have their rights jeopardized by retroactive application of the six-month statute of limitations. DelCostello’s purposes can best be achieved by retroactive application. Accordingly, the six-month statute of limitations in § 10(b) of the Labor Relations Act applies to Harris.

The inquiry does not end there, however. Under Ohio’s ninety-day statute of limitations, it was clear that Harris had not met the filing deadline. Under a six-month limitation, the question is a closer one.

II. Harris’Affidavit

In his original complaint, filed February 10, 1983, Harris alleged that he was discharged on July 16, 1981, and he grieved [752]*752his discharge by way of a grievance dated July 17, 1981. In support of his recent motion, Harris submits an affidavit claiming his last written notice from the Union was dated July 30, 1981, but that “to the best of his knowledge” it was not until “sometime in the third week of August 1981” that the Chiéf Shop Steward orally notified him of the Union’s decision not to demand arbitration. This information was not contained in the original complaint, and its presentation in the current context seems conveniently contrived to fit the Del-Costello holding’s six-month statute of limitations. Harris qualifies the most critical portion of his affidavit, (specifying the date of the Union’s final decision), with the unsettling phrase “to the best of his knowledge”. He does not state where the conversation with his shop steward took place, nor does he name the individual.

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Bluebook (online)
575 F. Supp. 749, 1983 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10626, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harris-v-ef-hauserman-co-ohnd-1983.