Katz v. International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union

20 Misc. 2d 256, 192 N.Y.S.2d 371, 45 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2132, 1959 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2698
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 4, 1959
StatusPublished

This text of 20 Misc. 2d 256 (Katz v. International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union) 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
Katz v. International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, 20 Misc. 2d 256, 192 N.Y.S.2d 371, 45 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2132, 1959 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2698 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1959).

Opinion

Herbert D. Hamm, J.

The plaintiff Leo ICatz, “ doing business as heler-e’s retail outlet ”, seeks a temporary injunction against the defendants’ picketing. The plaintiff’s retail outlet is located in the same building with Helene Manufacturing Co. Helene Manufacturing Co. performs part of the manufacturing operations for Smart Sue, Inc., a struck ” plant not located in Catskill. The building at which picketing is taking place is located on the corner of West Bridge and Division Streets in the Village of Catskill. There is an alley leading from Division Street and in the rear of the building, on which there is located [258]*258an employees’ entrance to Helene Manufacturing Co. In the approximate center of the front of the building on West Bridge Street there is a large sign 1 helene manufacturing go. ’ ’. Underneath the sign is a garage door of sufficient width to permit automobiles to enter. Beyond the garage door and toward Division Street are plate-glass windows in which mannequins are displayed and over which a sign ‘ ‘ retail outlet ’ ’ appears. Between the garage door and the windows of the retail outlet there is a door for admission of retail customers. The manufacturing company is a partnership conducted, as it was stated on the argument, by the plaintiff in conjunction with his wife.

As to the right to picket Helene Manufacturing Co., there is no serious issue. Smart Sue, Inc., sends merchandise to Helene Manufacturing Co. to be sewn into garments. In the performance of work for Smart Sue, Inc., the premises of the contractor Helene Manufacturing Co. are merely an extension of the premises of the jobber Smart Sue, Inc. As a matter of fact the Landrum-Griffin Act, when effective (Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 [Pub. Law 86-257; 73 U. S. Stat. 519 et seq.~), § 704, subd. [b], adding subd. [e] to National Labor Relations Act, § 8; U. S. Code, tit. 29, § 158, subd. [e]) provides that its more restrictive provisions relating to secondary boycotts shall not apply to ‘1 persons in the relation of a jobber, manufacturer, contractor, or subcontractor working on the goods or premises of the jobber or manufacturer or performing parts of an integrated process of production in the apparel and clothing industry ’ ’. As the defendants have a right to picket Helene Manufacturing Co., they can hardly be required to confine their picketing to the alley when the sign ‘ ‘ helene manufacturing co. ’ ’ is prominently displayed on the front of the premises.

This, however, does not constitute a solution. The defendants concede their picketing in front of the building is not merely an incident to picketing the manufacturer but includes also the retail outlet and they state themselves one of the signs contains an exhortation to join their union and is not confined to the jobber-processer dispute. The plaintiff contends that the retail outlet is a separate entity not involved in the controversy between Smart Sue, Inc., and Helene Manufacturing Co. He alleges in his affidavit:

That the said building has separate entrances for the factory and retail store and the factory entrance is clearly marked as such and is used exclusively by the employees of the factory. That no employees of the factory enter through the retail store.

[259]*259“ The retail store and the factory are operated as completely separate entities, each having its own manager. Edith Petra-male is manager of the retail store and Morris Weinstein is manager of the factory. The employees of the factory are paid separately by the retail store for any work which the factory does for the retail store. Separate tax returns are filed for each business. Separate bank accounts are kept for each business and separate sets of bookeeping records are kept for each business.”

On the other hand the defendants have submitted an affidavit from a former employee of Helene Manufacturing Co. This affidavit states in part:

5. The fact that Helene Manufacturing Co. constitutes a single business enterprise that operates both a factory and a store is evidenced by many things. First, there is the physical layout of the premises of Helene Manufacturing Co. Both the store and the factory are located in one building and the only name appearing on that building is that of Helene Manufacturing Co., which name appears only on the West Bridge Street side of the building, the side that Mr. Katz says is used only for the store entrance. Nowhere does the name ‘ Helene’s Retail Outlet ’ appear on the building, although the words ‘ Retail Outlet ’ do appear on a sign to the right of the sign bearing the name ‘ Helene Manufacturing Co.’ The position and relative importance of the two signs gives the impression that the ‘ Retail Outlet ’ referred to is the retail outlet of Helene Manufacturing Co. The truth of these factual statements is apparent from the photograph of the building attached hereto as Exhibit ‘A’, which was taken on Wednesday, September 30, 1959.

‘ ‘ The premises of the store are physically connected with the premises of the factory by three doors, two of which are in constant use by employees of Helene Manufacturing Co., Mr. Katz, customers who come into the store, and others. In fact, when I started working for Helene Manufacturing Co. and for several months thereafter, the goods for the factory would be delivered through the large truck entrance on West Bridge Street immediately under the sign bearing the name ‘ Helene Manufacturing Co.’, which entrance appears as Exhibit ‘A’. Employees often enter the factory through the West Bridge Street entrance, passing through the store. There is only one time clock on the premises and that is used by both store and factory personnel. Job applicants for positions in the factory or the store apply for positions at the store, through the store entrance. There is only one office on the premises. In that office, one bookeeper makes up the payroll for all employ[260]*260ees of Helene Manufacturing Co., those employed in the factory as well as those employed in the store. Workers go through the store entrance to go to the office for their pay. Customers from the store are brought into the factory and sometimes purchase garments directly from the factory racks and bring them back to the store, where they pay for them. It is therefore, clear that, contrary to Mr. Katz’s assertion, the factory and the store do not have separate premises with separate entrances and exits, and that the entire premises of Helene Manufacturing Co. are used both for factory and store purposes.

‘ ‘ 6. Furthermore, supervision of employees in the factory and the store is carried on by the same person. Mr. Katz is in and out of both the factory and the store, directing the work of the employees in both places. A lady, whose first name is Edith and whose last name I do not know, acts as manager of both the factory and the store. In the store she sells to customers, packages goods, takes cash, and is in general charge of the other employees. In the factory she instructs workers on how to do their jobs, tells the workers what their rates will be for performing certain operations on the garments, schedules overtime for workers, and is also in general charge of the workforce.

1 ‘ In addition, factory personnel perform store work, and store personnel come into the factory to sell garments right from the factory racks. Thus, operators and pressers who work in the factory are required to make repairs and alterations on garments purchased in the store by customers.

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20 Misc. 2d 256, 192 N.Y.S.2d 371, 45 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2132, 1959 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 2698, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/katz-v-international-ladies-garment-workers-union-nysupct-1959.