Kobell v. Reid Plastics, Inc.

136 F.R.D. 575, 143 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2683, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7649, 1991 WL 97218
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 24, 1991
DocketCiv. A. No. 91-0519
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 136 F.R.D. 575 (Kobell v. Reid Plastics, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kobell v. Reid Plastics, Inc., 136 F.R.D. 575, 143 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2683, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7649, 1991 WL 97218 (W.D. Pa. 1991).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

LEE, District Judge.

On March 25, 1991, the petitioner filed this action wherein he seeks injunctive relief pursuant to § 10(j) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 160(j) pending the final disposition by the National Labor Relations Board of the underlying charges that the defendant has engaged in and is now engaging in acts and conduct in violation of §§ 8(a)(1) and (3) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 158(a)(1) and (3).

The Complaint, inter alia, charges that respondent committed unfair labor practices in violation of §§ 8(a)(1) and (3) of the Act by (i) “soliciting employee complaints and grievances, promised its employees increased benefits and improved terms and conditions of employment”; (ii) “informing an employee that he was being laid off because of Union activity”; (iii) “has reclassified supervisors to positions within the bargaining unit that was the subject of the representation case ... in order to increase the employer’s chances of prevailing in any representation election”; (iv) “since August 1, 1990 ... has increased benefits of its employees by granting bonuses”; (v) “instituted a change in its established policy of recalling and/or rehiring employees on layoff status and thereafter on or about November 13, 1990, announced the change in said policy to employees”; (vi) “discrimi-nately selected employees for layoff”; (vii) “laid off certain employees whom it has refused to recall”; (viii) “increased benefits of its employees by reclassifying certain positions and granting wage increases”; (ix) “transferring and/or directing work from its Leetsdale, Pennsylvania, facility to other facilities” of the respondent; and (x) “that respondent (has) engaged in ... (that) ... conduct because employees of the respondent joined, supported or assisted the Union and engaged in concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection, and in order to discourage employees from engaging in such activities or other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid and protection.”

MATTERS PENDING BEFORE THE COURT

Pending before the Court are the following matters:

(1) “Motion for Protective Order” of Petitioner, NLRB

(2) “Motion to Amend Complaint and Petition” of the Petitioner, NLRB

(3) Respondent’s “Motion for Expedited Discovery and for an Extension of the Date to Show Cause”

(4) “Motion of United Electrical Workers to Quash Subpoena Duces Tecum”

(5) Petitioner’s “Corrected Motion for Protective Order to Limit Discovery”

(6) Petitioner’s “Corrected Proposed Order to Limit Discovery”

STATUS CONFERENCE WITH PARTIES

Because of its congested Court calendar, the Court originally scheduled a hearing on the Complaint and Petition for the morning of April 25, 1991, and held a status conference with the parties on April 19, 1991. In attendance were counsel for the petitioner, counsel for the respondent and counsel for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America (Union).

At the status conference, the petitioner discussed his pending Motion to amend the Complaint and Petition and his Motion for Protective Order, and the respondent dis[577]*577cussed its need for expedited discovery and for extension of the date to show cause.

The Union discussed its Motion to quash the subpoena.

PETITIONER’S MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER

The petitioner argues that the respondent has limited rights to discovery and that respondent exceeds those limits by seeking irrelevant and privileged information and documents. Moreover, he stated that he is prepared to expeditiously produce for discovery for respondent’s review all documentary evidence and Exhibits contained in the Regional Office’s investigatory file, as well as all affidavits in the possession of the Regional Office of all persons petitioner intends to call as witnesses in the hearing before the Court, which materials, petitioner asserts, form the basis of the his belief that the relief sought is warranted.

However, petitioner urges that his production of discovery materials to respondent should be subject to specific conditions designed to protect employees’ statutory rights:

(1) Respondent’s counsel should be prohibited from disclosing or revealing the contents of any affidavits to Respondent, its officers, supervisors or agents;
(2) Respondent, its officers, supervisors and agents should be prohibited from directly contacting any of the affiants concerning their testimony except via counsel for Petitioner;
(3) Counsel for Petitioner should be permitted upon adequate notice to be present at all times during any Respondent interviews with any of the affiants; and
(4) Respondent, its officers, supervisors and agents should be prohibited from threatening, disciplining, discharging or otherwise affecting in any negative manner the employment status and union membership of any of the affiants without first notifying Petitioner and securing the prior permission of the Court, if said affiants are, become or seek to become employees of Respondent.

PETITIONER’S MOTION TO AMEND COMPLAINT AND PETITION

Petitioner asserts in his Motion to amend Complaint and Petition that he seeks to add allegations which are closely related to the allegations of the original Complaint and Petition, and that the unfair labor practices underlying them have been consolidated for a single proceeding before the Board. Moreover, petitioner states that the proposed amended Complaint and Petition makes minor changes alleging additional agents and correcting the date of an alleged violation to conform to amendments to the underlying administrative complaints. Finally, the petitioner states that at the time of the original Complaint and Petition were filed, administrative authorization had not been received to seek injunc-tive relief on the additional matters set forth in the proposed amended Complaint and Petition.

Appended to the proposed amended Complaint are copies of the various “Charges against Employer” statements filed with the Board and which form the basis of the petitioner’s Complaint, a copy of the Complaint and notice of hearing before the Board, and the Answer of the respondent to the Board’s Complaint.

In substance, petitioner urges that granting leave to amend will permit this Court to hear and to decide the entire matter at one proceeding, thereby avoiding a multiplicity of actions and argues that there will be no prejudice to the rights of respondents by the grant of the Motion.

While respondent does not formally oppose the amendment, nevertheless, at the status conference, the respondent indicated that there was an inordinate delay in the filing of the Motion.

RESPONDENT’S OPPOSITION TO PETITIONER’S MOTION FOR PROTECTIVE ORDER

In opposition to petitioner’s Motion for Protective Order, respondent argues that [578]*578its request for discovery against the petitioner is appropriate and necessary.

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Bluebook (online)
136 F.R.D. 575, 143 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2683, 1991 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7649, 1991 WL 97218, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kobell-v-reid-plastics-inc-pawd-1991.