International Ass'n of Bridge, Structural & Ornamental Iron Workers Union No. 63 v. Glaziers, Architectural Metal & Glass Workers Local Union No. 27

40 F. Supp. 2d 997, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9568, 1999 WL 176857
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedMarch 26, 1999
DocketNo. 97 C 7347
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 40 F. Supp. 2d 997 (International Ass'n of Bridge, Structural & Ornamental Iron Workers Union No. 63 v. Glaziers, Architectural Metal & Glass Workers Local Union No. 27) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
International Ass'n of Bridge, Structural & Ornamental Iron Workers Union No. 63 v. Glaziers, Architectural Metal & Glass Workers Local Union No. 27, 40 F. Supp. 2d 997, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9568, 1999 WL 176857 (N.D. Ill. 1999).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

ANN CLAIRE-WILLIAMS, District Judge.

Local Union 63 of the International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers (“Iron Workers”) brings this lawsuit under Section 301 of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 185 against Glaziers, Architectural Metal and Glass Workers Local Union 27 of the United Brotherhood of Painters and Allied Trades (“Glaziers”). In its two-count complaint, Iron Workers alleges that Glaziers breached a contract between the two unions by bidding for and obtaining two jobs that Iron Workers should have received. Pursuant to Rule 56 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, both parties move for summary judgment on Iron Workers’ claims. Additionally, Glaziers moves for summary judgment on its counterclaim. For the following reasons, the court (1) denies Iron Workers’ motion for summary judgment; (2) grants in part and denies in part Glaziers’ cross-motion for summary judgment; and (3) denies Glaziers’ motion for summary judgment on its counterclaim without prejudice.

Background

Iron Workers and Glaziers are both labor unions that organize employees for the purpose of hanging and installing glass, windows, and doors. On July 1, 1985, Iron Workers and Glaziers executed a contract1 [999]*999“for the purpose of improving relations between the two trades, facilitating the settlement of jurisdictional disputes directly between the two trades and establishing an understanding that will mutually assist each Union to secure and to perform work coming within its jurisdiction.” (Contract ¶ 1.) In other words, Iron Workers and Glaziers are two separate labor unions, but they organize employees to perform very similar types of work. The two unions therefore executed this contract to prevent disputes as to which union would be entitled to perform specific jobs in a designated geographic area.

For example, the first five sections of the contract allocate specific jobs among Iron Workers and Glaziers as follows:

SECTION I

Store fronts are the work of the craft receiving the erection assignment. Store fronts consist of sills, side jambs, head jambs, glass retaining settings, vertical and horizontal tubular mullions and mutins and bars of all shapes. All other types including reinforced material are the work of the Iron Workers. Installation of glass is the work of the Glaziers. All metal and glass on the ground floor only can be done by composite crews of Glaziers and Iron Workers.

SECTION II

Entrances with tubular doors in openings is the work of the craft receiving the erection assignment. The installation of tempered glass doors is the work of the Glaziers. The installation of revolving doors is the work of the Iron Workers.

SECTION III

The Installation of all pre-fabricated, pre-glazed, pre-hung windows of any type is the work of the Iron Workers.

SECTION IV

This section is confined to the installation of metal curtain-wall construction of all types. Metal curtain-wall is the work of the Iron Workers in its entirety.

SECTION V

This section is confined to the installation and sealing of panels used in connection with curtain-wall construction.

(a) The installation of metal panels is the work of the Iron Workers. The application of patented sealants, when used to seal metal to metal surfaces, is the work of the Iron Workers.

(b) The installation of raw glass panels is the work of the Glaziers. The application of patented sealants, when used to seal raw glass to metal surfaces, and sealing if glass to glass is the work of the Glaziers, except where the glass is used as a component of a railing.

(Contract §§ 1-5.)

In the event that Iron Workers and Glaziers disagreed over which union was entitled to perform a specific job, Section XI of the contract states that:

If a dispute should arise over the interpretation or application of this agreement, the two business agents of the respective unions shall make a conscientious endeavor to settle the dispute locally. Should the business agents fail to consummate a satisfactory understanding, the two heads of the respective locals will review the work in question. If they cannot agree, they shall immediately go to the Chicago Joint Board for jurisdictional hearings.
There shall be no stoppage of work while the dispute is in process of settlement.

(Contract § XI.)

After Iron Workers and Glaziers executed the contract in 1985, they performed on [1000]*1000the contract for about twelve years. Over this time, numerous disputes arose over which union had jurisdiction to perform specific jobs. In accordance with Section XI of the contract, Iron Workers and Glaziers resolved these disagreements by having their business agents or union heads discuss the matters and reach mutually acceptable agreements.

Throughout 1996, Iron Workers and Glaziers considered changing the contract. Representatives from both unions met on several occasions and discussed proposed changes to the contract, but the parties never agreed on the suggested changes. In 1997, after twelve years of relatively peaceful coexistence under their jurisdiction-defining contract, things began to get ugly between Iron Workers and Glaziers. In April 1997, Iron Workers and Glaziers disagreed over which union was entitled to perform work at Thomas Middle School in Arlington Heights, Illinois. In accordance with Section XI of the contract, Glaziers sent a letter to the Chicago Joint Conference Board (“JCB”) seeking a resolution of this conflict. Ultimately, Iron Workers withdrew its claim to the project, so the JCB did not hold a hearing on this dispute.

In June and July of 1997, another dispute arose between Iron Workers and Glaziers. This dispute concerned a construction project at the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance building in Chicago, Illinois. Consistent with Section XI of the contract, Glaziers again asked the JCB to determine whether Iron Workers or Glaziers was entitled to the job.2 On July 31, 1997, however, Glaziers formally withdrew its request for a JCB hearing on the Blue Cross project because the work had already been 95% completed.

In addition to the Thomas Middle School and Blue Cross disputes, Iron Workers and Glaziers also disagreed over which union had the right to perform work at two other job sites. These two disputes form the basis for this lawsuit. The first dispute concerned work at a Hampton Inn & Suites Hotel construction project in Chicago, Illinois (“Hampton Inn project”). On December 6, 1996, E.J. Hayes Glass and Mirror Company (“E.J.Hayes”) received a contract from Ben A. Borenstein & Co. (“BABCO”) under which E.J. Hayes agreed to install pre-glazed windows at the Hampton Inn project. E.J. Hayes had a collective bargaining agreement (“CBA”) with Glaziers, but did not have a CBA with Iron Workers.

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

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
40 F. Supp. 2d 997, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9568, 1999 WL 176857, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/international-assn-of-bridge-structural-ornamental-iron-workers-union-ilnd-1999.