Holloway v. Shambaugh & Son, Inc.

988 F. Supp. 2d 901, 2013 WL 6729502, 198 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2012, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178075
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Indiana
DecidedDecember 19, 2013
DocketCivil No. 1:13cv225
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 988 F. Supp. 2d 901 (Holloway v. Shambaugh & Son, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Indiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Holloway v. Shambaugh & Son, Inc., 988 F. Supp. 2d 901, 2013 WL 6729502, 198 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2012, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178075 (N.D. Ind. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

WILLIAM C. LEE, District Judge.

This matter is before the court on two motions to dismiss, filed by the defendants, Plumbers & Steamfitters Local No. 166 U.A. (“Local 166”) and Shambaugh & Son, [904]*904L.P.1 (“Shambaugh”), on September 12, 2013. The plaintiff, Mark Holloway (“Holloway”), filed his response on October 17, 2013, to which the defendants replied on November 1, 2013.

For the following reasons, the motions to dismiss will be granted.

Discussion

The facts, as represented by Holloway, are as follows. Prior to January of 2013, Holloway was a member in good standing of Local 166 (Plaintiffs Complaint, ¶ 1). Local 166 was the designated collective-bargaining representative of the bargaining unit consisting of Shambaugh’s plumber and steamfitter employees, including Holloway, who were employed at Shambaugh’s Fort Wayne office. Id. at ¶ 7. As set forth in Holloway’s Complaint, Shambaugh and Local 166 were parties to a written collective bargaining agreement (hereinafter the “CBA”), effective from June 1, 2009 through May 31, 2012, and thereafter from year to year. Id. at ¶ 8. As alleged in Holloway’s Complaint, on January 24, 2013, Holloway was wrongfully discharged by Shambaugh for his alleged failure “to meet work requirements”. Id. at ¶ 15. As a member of Local 166 for the past twenty-six years, Holloway was required to submit to approximately two drug tests per year for the past ten years. Id. at ¶ 10. During the course of his four-year employment with Shambaugh, Holloway consistently received a drug test notification in the mail which contained a Letter of Notice for Random Testing, and the information regarding the locations for the random drug test, which started a 72-hour window in which Holloway could submit to the drug test. Id. at ¶ 11.

On or about January 3, 2013, Holloway was notified by Local 166 by telephone that he had a random drug test due; however, Local 166 did not provide Holloway with the Letter of Notice. Id. at ¶ 12. Despite Holloway’s repeated requests for a Letter of Notice from Local 166, Local 166 did not provide the notice to Holloway. Id. at ¶ 13. Rather than providing Holloway with the Letter of Notice, representatives of Local 166 allegedly asked Holloway if he “needed more time to dry out”, and notified him that they would just “tell them you’re out of town working,” intimating that Holloway’s drug test results would not be clean. Id. at ¶ 14. As set forth above, Holloway was discharged by Shambaugh on January 24, 2013, for his alleged failure “to meet work requirements”. Id. at ¶ 15.

Pursuant to the CBA, “no employee covered by the agreement shall be discharged except for just cause” Id. at ¶ 8. Because of this, on January 30, 2013, Holloway protested his termination to agents of Local 166. Id. at ¶ 20. The agents of Local 166 told Holloway that there was nothing that the Local 166 could do because it was Holloway’s fault. Id. An agent of Local 166 asked Holloway if he wanted to file a grievance against Shambaugh. Id. at ¶ 21. Holloway informed the agent that he believed the Local 166 had mishandled things by repeatedly refusing to provide the Letter of Notice for his drug test, suggesting that he tell a lie instead, which ultimately resulted in Shambaugh wrongfully terminating him. Id. at ¶ 22. The Local 166 agent informed Holloway that if he had a problem with him or the Union, that he “would have to go to the NLRB”. Id. at ¶ 23.

[905]*905Holloway alleges that at the time of the conversation, the period for filing a grievance on Holloway’s behalf had not yet expired. Id. at ¶24. Pursuant to the CBA, “[a] grievance shall be filed for resolution within two (2) weeks of the date of the occurrence or from the date it reasonably could have been discovered by the parties involved in accordance with the grievance procedure covered in this article”. Id. at ¶ 8. Holloway alleges that Local 166 failed to perform an investigation or file a grievance within that two week period and instead permitted the time for filing a grievance to lapse. Id. at ¶ 24. According to Holloway, Local 166 finally offered to file a grievance on Holloway’s behalf on May 20, 2013, nearly four months after Holloway’s termination. Id. at ¶ 35. Holloway claims that by the time that the Local 166 finally decided to act on Holloway’s behalf, the filing would have likely been rejected by Shambaugh as untimely. Holloway also states that he never received any information from Local 166 or Shambaugh which indicated that he would be eligible for reinstatement to his job. Id. at ¶25. Holloway alleges that Local 166 failed to investigate his Complaint, provide him with any assistance in getting reinstated, or to initiate a grievance on his behalf during the two week time period specified in the CBA.

In ruling on a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) and/or failure to state a claim under Rule 12(b)(6), the court assumes all well-pleaded allegations in the Compliant to be true and draws all reasonable inferences in the plaintiffs favor. Christensen v. County of Boone, Illinois, 483 F.3d 454, 457 (7th Cir.2007). However, legal conclusions are not entitled to any assumption of truth. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1940, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009). On a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), the plaintiff bears the burden of establishing that the court has jurisdiction. Dist. of Columbia Retirement Bd. v. United States, 657 F.Supp. 428, 431 (D.D.C.1987).

In order to survive a Rule 12(b)(6) Motion to Dismiss, the complaint must contain a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief. EEOC v. Concentra Health Servs., Inc., 496 F.3d 773, 776 (7th Cir.2007) (quoting Fed.R.Civ.P. 8(a)(2)). The plaintiffs obligation to provide the grounds of his entitlement to relief requires more than labels and conclusions; a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do. Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly et al, 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 1964, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007), citing Papasan v. Attain, 478 U.S. 265, 286, 106 S.Ct. 2932, 92 L.Ed.2d 209 (1986). Factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief from speculative to plausible. Twombly, 127 S.Ct. at 1965. Dismissal of an action is warranted if “no relief could be granted under any set of facts that could be proved consistent with the allegations.” De Walt v. Carter, 224 F.3d 607, 612 (7th Cir.2000).

In support of their motions to dismiss, the defendants argue that Holloway’s action is time-barred, and also fails to state a claim for breach of the duty of fair representation. Defendant Shambaugh also argues that Holloway’s allegations establish that Shambaugh had just cause to terminate his employment.

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988 F. Supp. 2d 901, 2013 WL 6729502, 198 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2012, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 178075, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/holloway-v-shambaugh-son-inc-innd-2013.