Hendren v. Curtis

164 Misc. 20, 297 N.Y.S. 364, 1937 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1378
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 1, 1937
StatusPublished

This text of 164 Misc. 20 (Hendren v. Curtis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hendren v. Curtis, 164 Misc. 20, 297 N.Y.S. 364, 1937 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1378 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1937).

Opinion

Harris, J.

Briefly stated, the relief prayed for in this action is as follows: (1) That the corporate defendants herein, and each of them, be restrained from refusing to employ members of the plaintiffs as rock drillers, blasters and laborers on the shafts and tunnel work of a subway job on Sixth avenue; (2) that the defendant unions be restrained from interfering with the employment of the members of the plaintiffs in such occupations; (3) that the defendants be restrained from enforcing a certain agreement dated February 25, 1937, and from breaching a certain agreement dated February 14, 1936.

The proof before the court and the contentions of the parties herein may be stated more or less succinctly as follows: The plaintiff unions and the defendant unions are all locals of the same international, International Hod Carriers’, Building and Common Laborers’ Union of America. Each of the corporate defendants has a separate contract upon a separate portion of the subway being built through Sixth avenue in the borough of Manhattan. Preliminary to starting this construction, and on or about the 14th day of February, 1936, the corporate defendants herein as parties of the first part, and the local union parties herein as parties of the second part, entered into an agreement from which parts pertinent to this action are quoted as follows:

“ PREAMBLE

“ This Agreement is entered into to prevent strikes and lock-outs and to facilitate peaceful adjustment of grievances and disputes between employer and employee, and to prevent waste and unnecessary and avoidable delays and expense, and for the further purpose of at all times securing for the employer sufficient skilled workmen and, so far as possible, to provide for Labor continuous employment, such employment to be in accordance with the conditions herein set forth, and at the wages herein agreed upon, that stable conditions may prevail, that costs may be as low as possible consistent with fair wages and conditions, and to further establish the necessary procedure by which these things may be accomplished.

[22]*22“ DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES

“ Both parties to this Agreement believe that a Uniform Agreement, if adopted by all Employers and all Unions, would further the interests of ‘ Engineering Construction Industry/ and agree to use their best efforts to bring about such an Agreement, and further believe that such a Uniform Agreement should contain the following Principles:

“ 1. That there shall be no limitation as to the amount of work a man shall perform during his working day, it being understood that the workman shall perform a fair and honest day’s work.

“ 2. That there shall be no restriction of the use of machinery, tools or appliances.

“3. That there shall be no restriction of the use of any raw or manufactured materials, except prison made.

“ 4. That no person shall have the right to interfere with workmen during working hours.

“ 5. That workmen shall be at liberty to work for whomsoever they see fit, but that they shall demand and receive the wage agreed upon as hereinafter set forth in this Agreement.

6. That the employers are at liberty to employ and discharge whomsoever they see fit, and that the parties of the first part shall at all times be the sole judges as to the work to be performed and whether such work performed by any members of the aforesaid parties of the second part employed by them is, or is not satisfactory.

“ 7. That the foreman or foremen shall be the agent or agents of the employer, selected by the employer, and where hereinafter scheduled in this Agreement, shall be a member or members of any of the above mentioned Locals, and shall be paid a rate of wage to be determined by the employer, but the said rate of wage, shall not be less than One Dollar ($1.00) more per day than the regular rate paid to the men supervised by the said foreman or foremen.

“ ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT

“ ARTICLE II.

“ The parties of the first part agree that on Heavy Construction and Railroad Contracting Work as hereinafter defined, within the area of the five Boroughs of the City of New York, New York, except on existing contracts or contracts on which proposals have been submitted, they will employ, during the life of this Agreement only such workmen as are members in good standing of the International Union, who are members of the Local Unions comprising the parties of the second part, under the terms, conditions and [23]*23rates of wages hereinafter provided in this Agreement, which terms conditions and rates of wages have been arrived at and determined through bona fide collective bargaining, between all the parties to this Agreement.

“ ARTICLE IV.

“ That from February 14, 1936, The Arthur A. Johnson Corporation and Necaro Co., Inc., agree that they will employ, subject to the provisions and conditions hereinafter set forth, between hours fixed by the parties of the first part, but not more than a total of eight (8) consecutive hours in each twenty-four (24) hour period, only such Compressed Air Workers, Blasters, Rock Drillers, Semi-Skilled and Unskilled Laborers as hereinafter classified, who are members of the said International Union and belonging to Locals now known as Numbers 45, 102, 250, 266 and 731, or by whatever name or number shall be hereafter assigned or designated to them by the said International Hod Carriers, .Building and Common Laborers Union of America of the American Federation of Labor; and it is further provided that in the event three (3) shifts are worked within any twenty-four (24) hour period the men shall have not less than one-half (j4) hour for lunch as part of the eight (8) hour shift on which they are working, and shall be paid for the full eight (8) hours.

Section 2. In consideration of the covenants herein contained, the parties of the second part agree to provide sufficient, able and efficient workmen to properly conduct the above work. * * *

“ ARTICLE V.

“ ARBITRATION

“ Section 1. For the purpose of settling disputes between the parties hereto as to any claim of violation of this Agreement or of any dispute that may arise in connection therewith or for construing the terms and provisions hereof, there shall be appointed an Arbitration Board. * * *

“ ARTICLE VI.

“ STOPPAGE OF WORK

“ Section 1. It is hereby agreed and understood that until final decision has been rendered by the .Arbitration Board, as provided in Article V, there shall be no lock-outs of any sort by the parties of the first part, nor shall there be any strikes or stoppage of work of any sort by the parties of the second part, but that all grievances or complaints of any sort that may arise from either party, are to be submitted to the Arbitration Board for final decision and settlement. which shall be binding on all the parties hereto.

[24]*24“ ARTICLE VIII.

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Bluebook (online)
164 Misc. 20, 297 N.Y.S. 364, 1937 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1378, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hendren-v-curtis-nysupct-1937.