Laundry, Dry Cleaning, Dye House Workers Union, Local 3008 v. Laundry Workers International Union

91 N.W.2d 320, 4 Wis. 2d 542, 73 A.L.R. 2d 843, 1958 Wisc. LEXIS 467, 42 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2546
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJune 26, 1958
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 91 N.W.2d 320 (Laundry, Dry Cleaning, Dye House Workers Union, Local 3008 v. Laundry Workers International Union) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Laundry, Dry Cleaning, Dye House Workers Union, Local 3008 v. Laundry Workers International Union, 91 N.W.2d 320, 4 Wis. 2d 542, 73 A.L.R. 2d 843, 1958 Wisc. LEXIS 467, 42 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2546 (Wis. 1958).

Opinion

CuRRiE, J.

The following two issues are before us on this appeal:

(1) Was the trial court confronted with a labor dispute as defined by sec. 103.62, Stats., so as to require compliance with the provisions of sec. 103.56 in the issuance of the temporary restraining order and the temporary injunction?

(2) Was it error for the trial court to issue both the temporary restraining order and the temporary injunction without requiring bond?

In resolving the first issue we deem it would be helpful to review the statutory history of secs. 103.56 and 103.62. The legislature, by ch. 376, Laws of 1931, enacted the “Little Norris-La Guardia Act” comprising secs. 103.51 to 103.62, Stats., as they stood prior to the amendments made thereto by ch. 25, Laws of 1939. Such act was originally numbered secs. 268.18 to 268.29, but later was transferred to ch. 103, Stats., and renumbered secs. 103.51 to 103.62. Sec. 103.62, as it stood prior to the 1939 amendment, read as follows :

“When used in sections 103.51 to 103.63, and for the purposes of these sections:
“(1) A case shall be held to involve or to grow out of a labor dispute when the case involves persons who are engaged in a single industry, trade, craft, or occupation; or who are employees of one employer; or who are members of the same or an affiliated organization of employers or employees; whether such dispute is (1) between one or more employers or associations of employers and one or more employees or associations of employees; (2) between one or more employers or associations of employers and one or more employers or associations of employers; or (3) between one or more employees or associations of employees and one or more employees or associations of employees; or when the case involves any conflicting or competing in *549 terests in a ‘labor dispute’ (as defined in subsection (3)) of ‘persons participating or interested’ therein (as defined in subsection (2)).
. “(2) A person or association shall be held to be a person participating or interested in a labor dispute if relief is sought against him or it and if he or it is engaged in the industry, trade, craft, or occupation in which such dispute occurs, or is a member, officer, or agent of any association of employers or employees engaged in such industry, trade, craft, or occupation.
“(3) The term ‘labor dispute’ includes any controversy concerning terms or conditions of employment, or concerning the association or representation of persons in negotiating, fixing, maintaining, changing, or seeking to arrange terms or conditions of employment, or concerning employment relations, or any other controversy arising out of the respective interests of employer and employee, regardless of whether or not the disputants stand in the proximate relation of employer and employee.” (Italics supplied.)

The amendments effected to such Little Norris-La Guardia Act by ch. 25, Laws of 1939, were, first, to add thereto a new section numbered sec. 103.535, Stats.; and, secondly, to repeal sub. (3) of sec. 103.62 and simultaneously reenact a new subsection bearing the same number reading as follows:

“The term ‘labor dispute’ means any controversy between an employer and the majority of his employees in a collective-bargaining unit concerning the right or process or details of collective bargaining or the designation of representatives. Any organization with which either the employer or such majority is affiliated may be considered a party to the labor dispute. The provisions of this subsection shall supersede any provision of the statutes in conflict therewith.”

Counsel for the defendant Williams contend that the present case involves the type of dispute between two unions which is embraced within the definition of a labor dispute set forth in sub. (1) of sec. 103.62, Stats. From this premise it is urged that the temporary restraining order *550 violated the provision of sub. (4) of sec. 103.56 because issued for a longer period than the permissible five days. The temporary injunction is attacked because not issued upon the testimony of witnesses taken in open court, and because the trial court did not make the specific enumerated findings of fact, all as required by sub. (1) of sec. 103.56. There can be no question but that the requirements of subs. (1) and (4) of sec. 103.56 were not complied with by the trial court, but these are only applicable in the event the instant action involves a labor dispute as defined by sec. 103.62.

We doubt that sub. (3) of sec. 103.62, Stats., as amended by ch. 25, Laws of 1939, completely renders nugatory sub. (1) of such section. However, sub. (1) does not state that every action between two associations of employees constitutes a labor dispute. As sec. 103.62 was originally enacted in 1931, the definition of a labor dispute for the purposes of Wisconsin’s Little Norris-La Guardia Act was not to be found in sub. (1) but rather in sub. (3). When carefully read it will be found that sub. (1) attempts to enumerate the different classes of litigants between whom a labor dispute may be found to exist. The effect of the 1939 amendment in repealing and re-creating sub. (3) was to substitute a new definition of labor dispute for the prior one.

The controversy involved in the instant action with respect to the assets and property of the plaintiff local does not constitute a labor dispute within the definition of such term set forth in sub. (3) of sec. 103.62, Stats., as such subsection stood either before or after the 1939 amendment. Such a controversy is not one involving terms or conditions of employment or representation of employees for collective-bargaining purposes.

Subs. (1) and (3) of sec. 103.62, Stats., as originally enacted, while not entirely identical in wording to the corresponding provisions of the Norris-La Guardia Act, 29 *551 USCA, sec. 113 (a) and (c), p. 128, are very similar thereto. The federal courts have held in cases where the parties fall within the enumerated categories of sec. 113 (a) that no labor dispute exists because the controversy does not meet the statutory definition of sec. 113 (c). Columbia River Packers Asso. v. Hinton (1942), 315 U. S. 143, 62 Sup. Ct. 520, 86 L. Ed. 750; United Electric Coal Companies v. Rice (7th Cir. 1935), 80 Fed. (2d) 1, certiorari denied, 297 U. S. 714, 56 Sup. Ct. 590, 80 L. Ed. 1000; and Tisa v. Potofsky (D. C. N. Y. 1950), 90 Fed. Supp. 175. See also annotation entitled, “Applicability of Norris-La Guardia Act and similar state statutes to injunction action by private complainant,” 29 A. L. R. (2d) 323, at page 385, and Sutton v. Marvidikis (1957), 6 Utah (2d) 238, 310 Pac. (2d) 735.

Pennsylvania has a Labor Anti-Injunction Act with provisions corresponding to subs. (1) and (3) of sec. 103.62, Wis. Stats., as they stood prior to the 1939 amendment. The Pennsylvania supreme court was called upon to construe these two subsections of such Pennsylvania act in Bright v. Pittsburgh Musical Society (1954), 379 Pa. 335, 108 Atl. (2d) 810.

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Bluebook (online)
91 N.W.2d 320, 4 Wis. 2d 542, 73 A.L.R. 2d 843, 1958 Wisc. LEXIS 467, 42 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2546, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/laundry-dry-cleaning-dye-house-workers-union-local-3008-v-laundry-wis-1958.