International Union, United Automobile, Aircraft, Agricultural Implement Workers v. Weatherhead Co.

203 F. Supp. 612
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedMarch 29, 1962
DocketCiv. No. 35494
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 203 F. Supp. 612 (International Union, United Automobile, Aircraft, Agricultural Implement Workers v. Weatherhead 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
International Union, United Automobile, Aircraft, Agricultural Implement Workers v. Weatherhead Co., 203 F. Supp. 612 (N.D. Ohio 1962).

Opinion

KALBFLEISCH, District Judge.

This is an action to compel defendant to submit to arbitration a dispute allegedly arising out of grievances filed by the plaintiffs under the provisions of their collective bargaining agreement.

Defendant admits that the plaintiffs, the International Union, United Automobile, Aircraft, Agricultural Implement Workers of America and its Local Union, No. 463 (AFL-CIO), are unincorporated labor organizations within the meaning of the Labor Management Relations Act and represent employees in an industry affecting commerce, as defined in said Act.

Defendant admits that The Weather-head Company is a corporation organized and existing by virtue of the laws of the State of Ohio and that said defendant is an employer employing employees in an industry affecting commerce, within the meaning of the Labor Management Relations Act.

Defendant admits that this action arises under Section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, as amended, 29 U.S.C.A. § 185, and that plaintiffs served on defendant a notice purporting to have been served under the U. S. Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C.A. § 1 et seq.

Defendant admits that plaintiffs and the defendant entered into an agreement [613]*613in writing, dated August 15, 1958, which by its terms remained in force until August 15, 1960; that in said agreement said defendant recognized the plaintiffs as the sole collective bargaining agent for the purpose of settling any disputes which might arise concerning rates of pay, hours of work, working conditions and grievances between the employees and the management of the defendant for all production, maintenance and other employees described in paragraph 1 of the agreement.

Defendant admits that said agreement in paragraphs 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 establishes a five-step grievance procedure for the submission of grievances between the defendant and its employees arising under the agreement, and that paragraph 22 provides:

“Step V. In the event any dispute between the Company and the Union or any of the employees in the bargaining unit shall not have been satisfactorily settled by the above procedure, there shall be no lockout or strike of any kind but the matter shall be submitted for arbitration to a suitable disinterested person agreeable to both the Company and the Union as Impartial Arbitrator. If the parties are unable to agree to an Impartial Arbitrator within ten (10) days, either party shall request the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to name five (5) disinterested persons, the names of two of whom shall be stricken by each party and the remaining name shall be that of the Impartial Arbitrator. The Impartial Arbitrator shall interpret and apply this Agreement but he shall not have authority to alter or modify the terms of this Agreement. The decision of the Impartial Arbitrator shall be in writing and final and binding on both the Company and the Union. Each party shall bear the expenses of its own representatives at the arbitration hearing and the other expenses, including that for the Impartial Arbitrator, shall be divided equally and paid, one-half by the Company and one-half by the Union.”

Defendant admits that three purported grievances, dated January 2, 1959, January 9, 1959, and January 12, 1959, were submitted and that said purported grievances were consolidated for the purpose of consideration and submission.

Defendant admits that the purported grievance dated January 2,1959, alleged:

“RE: Layoff of Dept. 50 Housekeeping employees out of line of seniority, displacing them by junior employees, and payment of wages below the negotiated scale — in violation of contract articles # 1-2-8-56-64- and 94.
“Through an allegedly independent contractor the company has employed junior people to do the work of senior employees, laying off the senior employees. The new employees are being paid less than the negotiated scale for the work performed. We request, retroactive adjustment for any time lost through the company making the aforementioned change.” Plaintiff’s Exhibit 2.

Defendant admits that the purported grievance dated January 9, 1959, alleged:

“RE: Employees displaced from jobs due to the company eliminating the Dept. 50 housekeeping unit by subcontracting and using junior employees in place of senior workers.
“We have been deprived of our jobs because we have been replaced by senior employees who had to bump us because the company has junior employees illegally performing their jobs. We request retroactive pay for all time lost and adjustment of any loss of earnings due to the company’s action in this matter.” Plaintiff’s Exhibit 3.

Defendant admits that the purported grievance dated January 12, 1959, alleged :

“RE: Junior Employees performing work that we have been laid off from.
[614]*614“Due to the fact that the company is using junior employees on our jobs we have not been recalled to our former jobs and have less chance to be recalled than heretofore. We demand recall as senior employees with a retroactive adjustment that may be payable to us.” Plaintiff’s Exhibit 4.

The Court finds that the aforementioned grievances proceeded through the grievance procedure in accord with the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement, and that the plaintiffs requested that said grievances be submitted for arbitration in conformity with step 5, paragraph 22, of the agreement. Defendant admits that the defendant executed and delivered to plaintiffs, at the fourth step of the arbitration proceedings, the following:

“Fourth Step
“This complaint was reviewed in the 4th step of the grievance procedure on January 20, 1959. Representing the Union were Ed. Schultz, International Representative and the Union Committee; representing the Company were John Stair, R. Sommer and F. Rusch.
“It was agreed that grievances filed on January 9,1959 and January 12, 1959 were both part of this grievance and disposition of them depended upon the final disposition of this complaint.
“After reviewing the union’s claim, it is our decision that the contract was not violated when the company subcontracted the housekeeping work performed by the complaining employees. The housekeeping work was subcontracted for the purpose of reducing costs and securing a better job for the money spent. It was not done for the purpose of discriminating against any employees or to impair the effectiveness of the union.
“During the 1958 negotiations, the union sought to limit the company’s right to subcontract and after lengthy negotiations, the contract was signed without any limitations in this regard. For these reasons the contract was not violated and the grievance is denied.
“The union argues that the standard of cleaning performed by the subcontractor employees is not as good as that of the company employees who formerly performed the work. .The company’s contract calls for an acceptable standard of cleaning and the company expects to hold the subcontractor to this obligation. If he does not perform up to the required standard, the company will take other steps to secure an acceptable job of cleaning.”

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Bluebook (online)
203 F. Supp. 612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/international-union-united-automobile-aircraft-agricultural-implement-ohnd-1962.