Kinney v. Chicago & Northeast Illinois District Council United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners

825 F. Supp. 843, 144 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2782, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9395, 1993 WL 249126
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Illinois
DecidedJune 17, 1993
DocketNo. 93 C 3294
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 825 F. Supp. 843 (Kinney v. Chicago & Northeast Illinois District Council United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners) 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
Kinney v. Chicago & Northeast Illinois District Council United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners, 825 F. Supp. 843, 144 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2782, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9395, 1993 WL 249126 (N.D. Ill. 1993).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT, CONCLUSIONS OF LAW AND ORDER

HART, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

The Regional Director of Region 13 of the National Labor Relations Board (“the board”) has petitioned, for injunctive relief pursuant to Section 10(Z) of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), 29 U.S.C. Sec 160(f)-1 Respondents are the Chicago and Northeast Illinois District Council United, Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America, AFL-CIO 2 and the United Brotherhood, of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Local No. 13, AFL-CIO (collectively “the union”). In her petition, the regional director requests that the union be enjoined from picketing McHugh Bowles Development, Ltd. (“the charging party” and “McHugh Bowles”). A hearing was held on June 10, 1993 and oral argument was presented June 11, 1993. The parties have submitted proposed findings of fact and conclusions of law.

II. FINDINGS OF FACT

1. McHugh Bowles, the charging party, is the general contractor constructing town homes located at 911-933 Racine Avenue (the “Riverwest Project”) in the City of Chicago. Work at this construction site began during March 1992. During the past calendar year, a represéntative period, the charging party received gross revenues in excess of $500,000 from the management of apartment buildings and has purchased and received goods and materials valued in excess of $50,000 from suppliers located in Illinois who purchased and directly received those materials from sources located outside Illinois.

2. Some time prior to April 28, 1993, Michael Sexton, a business agent of Local 13, visited the site of the Riverwest Project and talked with Bob Pozdol, an employee of McHugh Bowles. After learning that Pozdol worked for McHugh Bowles, Sexton left his business card at the McHugh Bowles office. On or about April 28, 1993, Paul McHugh, a principal owner and vice president of McHugh Bowles, arranged to meet with Thomas Hohman, manager of the organizing department of the District Council, and Mi.chael Sexton. At that meeting, the River-west Project was discussed. Hohman asked who was going to be doing the carpentry work. Hohman told McHugh that the union was interested in representing any carpenters on the job site. McHugh indicated that McHugh Bowles did not have any carpenters on the job and that Charles Schenk, who had been seen on the job, “just worked for McHugh.” McHugh indicated that he did [845]*845not know who would be doing the carpentry work and asked for a list of union carpenters. At no time during the meeting did either union representative threaten any type of economic pressure or provide any names of union carpenters.

3. On May 4, 1993, McHugh, along with his business partner Jeff Bowles, president of McHugh Bowles, again met with Hohman and Sexton. At this meeting, the union representatives were informed that D.T. Builders, Inc. (“D.T.”), a Crown Point, Indiana company, had the carpentry subcontract for the Riverwest Project and that D.T. was not a union firm. Hohman indicated that the union wanted a contract with D.T. or any other carpenters. He did not request that McHugh Bowles terminate its relationship with D.T. Bowles related stories of prior dealings with the carpenters’ unions involving threats of violence and property damage. Hohman insisted that the union was interested in business only and asked that McHugh Bowles sign an 8(f) agreement.3 McHugh Bowles declined.. The union did not threaten to picket. McHugh asked for alternatives between getting rid of D.T. and keeping D.T. subject to a strike. The union indicated that if D.T. was the carpenter for the site, that D.T. should enter an 8(f) agreement with the union. Thereafter, D.T. indicated it would not sign an 8(f) agreement with the union.

4. On May 5, 1993, McHugh Bowles wrote to the union advising that a reserved gate would be established at the Riverwest Project for D.T. The letter states as follows:

Re: Riverwest Citihomes Phases I, II, and III located at 911-933 North Racine and 856-900 N. Elston, Chicago, Illinois

Dear Mr. Sexton:

I am the president of McHugh Bowles Development, Ltd. which is the construction manager (and the General Partner of Riverwest Citihomes Limited Partnership which is the developer) for the above-identified construction site. In response to the possibility of Local 13 pickets ostensibly directed to D.T. Builders, the carpentry contractor (for labor only) on the site, be advised that a,“reserved gate” system has been established, at the site.
Effective May 6, 1993, the ingress and egress of employees, agents and suppliers of D.T. Builders is restricted to the gate located on the east side of the site (facing Elston Avenue).
The ingress and egress of all other subcontractors, their employees, agents and suppliers is restricted to the gate located on the west side of the site (facing Racine Avenue).
In accordance with the principles announced in Sailors Union of the Pacific (Moore Dry Dock Co.), 92 NLRB 547 (1950) and its progeny, we insist that the Local 13 honor the above-referenced reserved gate and confine its picketing to the gate reserved for D.T. Builders. Further, the Local 13 picketing is permitted only when D.T. Builders is present on the site. We will be providing you with schedules of when D.T. Builders will be present at the site.
Very Truly Yours,
h!
Jeff Bowles President
McHugh Bowles Development

5.On May 10, 1993, the union began picketing D.T. at a reserved gate established for the exclusive use of D.T. and its suppliers by McHugh Bowles on Elston Avenue. Three picketers with signs and vests indicating a strike against D.T. for. a contract were assigned to the reserved gate on Elston Avenue. Sexton and Tom Ryan, Jr., another Local 13 business representative, were also present.' One “observer” was assigned to the neutral gate on Racine Avenue to make sure [846]*846neither D.T. nor any of its suppliers avoided the reserved gate. The observer wore a strike vest inside-out which read “OBSERVER” on the front and back. The reserved gate led to the back of the Riverwest Project site. All others: were to enter through the neutral gate on Racine Avenue:

6. On May 10, 1993, a Hines lumber supply truck arrived at the neutral Racine gate around 7:15 a.m. According to McHugh, the driver spoke with the observer and drove away. Lena Truss also arrived at the neutral gate with a Stevenson crane, spoke with the observer and drove away. A driver with a load of trusses also arrived at the neutral gate, spoke with the Lena driver and did not deliver its load of trusses because the crane had not been delivered. The electrical contractor, scheduled to arrive on May 10, failed to appear. David Davis of D.T. Builders was given a letter from the union’s counsel, Hugh J. McCarthy & Assoc.,, requesting a meeting to negotiate a contract.

7. On May 11, 1993, McHugh arrived at the Riverwest Project to find that a red truck belonging to one of the union picketers was parked in front of the reserved gafe on Elston.

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825 F. Supp. 843, 144 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2782, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9395, 1993 WL 249126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kinney-v-chicago-northeast-illinois-district-council-united-brotherhood-ilnd-1993.