Mendez v. District Council for Ports of Puerto Rico

208 F. Supp. 917, 52 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2170, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4489
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedAugust 29, 1962
DocketCiv. No. 342-61
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 208 F. Supp. 917 (Mendez v. District Council for Ports of Puerto Rico) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mendez v. District Council for Ports of Puerto Rico, 208 F. Supp. 917, 52 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2170, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4489 (prd 1962).

Opinion

RUIZ-NAZARIO, Chief Judge.

This action is now before the Court on the following motions of the defendants:

1. For an order under Rule 12(b) F.R.Civ.P. 28 U.S.C.A. dismissing the complaint herein because

(a) the Court lacks jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action, and

(b) the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.

2. For summary judgment, pursuant to Rule 56(b) of the F.R.Civ.P.

8. Alternatively, for an order under Rule 12(f) of the F.R.Civ.P., to strike certain allegations of Par. 13 of the complaint.

The motion for summary judgment is supported by an affidavit of William V. Bradley dated January 11, 1962.

In opposition to said motion an affidavit of the plaintiffs Elisi Núñez, Juan Alindato and Elias Oliveras, signed March 1, 1962 was filed.

Defendants filed their memorandum in support of said motions on the date that they were orally argued.

Plaintiffs were then granted a period of ten days to answer said memorandum, but to this date they have not filed any memorandum.

The Court is duly advised in the premises.

I

(a) The plaintiffs invoke Sec. 185, Title 29 U.S.C.A. as one of the sources of this Court’s jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action.

However, from the complaint it unequivocably appears that the individuals who appear as plaintiffs are neither employers nor labor organizations and that, therefore, this action does not fall within the ambit of the aforesaid provision of law. This Court has already decided this question in previous cases.

See: Burgos v. Waterman Steamship Corp. of Puerto Rico, (D.C.P.R.1960) 189 F.Supp. 683, 685.

Leopoldo Ramos Ducos, etc. v. Nestor Maldonado et als., D.C., 207 F.Supp. 271.

The complaint obviously fails to show that this Court has jurisdiction of the subject matter of this action under Title 29 U.S.C.A. § 185; it rather shows that such jurisdiction does not exist.

(b) The other source of jurisdiction invoked by the plaintiffs is Sec. 412, Title 29 U.S.C.A.

The first thing that must be noticed is that the section invoked requires that the action be brought in the district court of the United States for the district where the alleged violation occurred, or where the principal office of such labor organization is located.

Nowhere in the complaint is it specifically alleged either where the alleged violation occurred nor where the principal office of the defendant labor organization is located.

Moreover, the section limits the cause of action exclusively to the redress of infringements of the rights secured by the provisions of sub chapter II resulting from any violation of said sub-chapter.

Sub-chapter II consists of Sections 411(a) (1) to (5), (b), to 415, in addition to the aforesaid Sec. 412.

The facts alleged in the complaint fail to establish any specific infringement of any of the rights secured by said sections or sub-sections, except perhaps Sec. 411(a) (1) Equal Rights.

Although the allegations of the complaint, in this respect, are mostly general and argumentative, the Court shall construe the same in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs. Therefore, as regards the “equal rights” provision contained in Sec. 411(a) (1) Title 29 U.S.C.A. the Court will not be authorized in holding that the complaint fails to establish its jurisdiction under Sec. 412, Title 29.

[919]*919This does not mean, however, that such complaint may be sufficient to establish a claim upon which relief may be granted to the plaintiffs under said Section.

Other sub-paragraphs of Section 411 limit the right of members of a labor organization to sue the latter to obtain redress of the infringement of their equal rights, freedom of speech and assembly, dues, initiation fees and assessments, and right to sue for rights accorded to them under sub-paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4) of Par. (a), Sec. 411, by providing, as it is provided in the proviso of sub-paragraph (4) “That any such member may be required to exhaust reasonable hearing procedures (but not to exceed a four-month lapse of time) within such organization, before instituting legal or administrative proceedings against such organizations or any officer thereof”.

From the affidavit of William V. Bradley, submitted in support of defendants motions it appears that the ILA Constitution contains reasonable hearing and appeal procedures within the four-month period prescribed by the aforesaid exhaustion of remedies Section (§ 411(a) (4), Title 29 U.S.C.A.) and that Sec. 5 of Article XIX of said Constitution expressly'requires the members to exhaust such reasonable hearing and appeal procedures, before instituting any legal proceedings against the organization.

Plaintiffs in Par. 12 of the complaint concede the existence of said exhaustion of remedies provision in the ILA Constitution, as well as the provision in said constitution for administrative remedies for the hearing and appeal for the redress of any violation of their rights, but they allege, in said paragraph of the complaint “that they consider it would be futile to try to exhaust their administrative remedies within the International Longshoremen’s Association as they have been told plainly that it was a “take it or leave it” plan and that the officers of the so-called District Council are acting under strict instructions from the general governing body of the International Longshoremen’s Association”. (Emphasis supplied).

In the affidavit of three of the plaintiffs filed in opposition to the motion for summary judgment, they further elaborate on the alleged futility.

A similar excuse was alleged in Smith v. General Truck Drivers, etc. Union Local 467 (U.S.D.C.S.D.Cal. Central Division (1960), 181 F.Supp. 14; where the Court held that the exhaustion of remedies clause, contained in Sec. 411(a) (4) Title 29 U.S.C.A. (Sec. 101(a) (4) of the Act) is unconditional and dismissed the complaint despite allegations of futility very similar to those alleged in the corn-plaint herein,

There, the Court said, at p. 18:

“If one were permitted to dispense with a necessary administrative step before invoking the jurisdiction of federal courts, which are courts of limited Jurisdiction, upon the mere assertion that the tribunal was biased OT had ruled or would rule unfavorably and had no power to act, every such requirement could be disregarded at will. The contention is ^°° fantastic to entertain in view of the sPeciñc language of the statute, ^-nd ^ kas ljeen rejected by the courts whenever made. Myers v. Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., 1938, 303 U. S. 41, 50-52, 58 S.Ct. 459, 82 L.Ed. 638; Macauley v. Waterman Steamship Corp., 1946, 327 U.S. 540, 543-545, 66 S.Ct. 712, 90 L.Ed. 839. And see, Aircraft & Diesel Equipment Corp. v. Hirsch, 1947, 331 U.S. 752, 767-781, 67 S.Ct. 1493, 91 L.Ed. 1796; United States v. Morton Salt Co., 1950, 338 U.S. 632, 652-654, 70 S.Ct.

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208 F. Supp. 917, 52 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2170, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4489, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mendez-v-district-council-for-ports-of-puerto-rico-prd-1962.