Morrison v. Shopmen's Local Union 682 of International Ass'n of Bridge

114 F. Supp. 54, 32 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2585, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3914
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Kentucky
DecidedAugust 20, 1953
DocketCiv. A. No. 2643
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 114 F. Supp. 54 (Morrison v. Shopmen's Local Union 682 of International Ass'n of Bridge) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morrison v. Shopmen's Local Union 682 of International Ass'n of Bridge, 114 F. Supp. 54, 32 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2585, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3914 (W.D. Ky. 1953).

Opinion

SHELBOURNE, Chief Judge.

This case was filed in the Jefferson Circuit Court June 26, 1953. July 13, 1953, defendants removed the action to this Court and upon plaintiffs’ motion to remand same to the Jefferson Circuit Court, on July 21, 1953, the Court remanded s£> much of the action as sought injunctive relief and retained jurisdiction of the cause of action seeking a declaration of rights.

A trial was had to the Court, without a jury, August 17, 1953.

The complaint alleged that the defendant was a local Labor Union, part of the International Association of Bridge Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers, A. F. of L. and that plaintiffs R. E. Morrison, H. L. Covert, J. L. Covert and A. W. Diebold were partners, doing business as Kentucky Metal Products Company.

A declaration of rights of the parties in respect to a labor agreement entered into between the parties June 1, 1952 was sought, the contention with respect to the controversy being alleged in the complaint as follows—

“ * * * that the defendants are contending that the said Alex O’Nan must remain idle when not engaged in supervising employees of the company in the iron shop and not hiring them or firing or laying out work for them to do, or that if permitted by the company so to do he must become a member of the defendant union.”

Plaintiffs’ contention, as alleged in the complaint, is that O’Nan—

“ * *■ * as a supervisory employee * * * is specifically excluded under Clause 1(A) and 4(A) of the contract from the terms of the agreement and may engage in production work and is not required to become a member of the union, and that if any ambiguity exists in the contract the performance of the duties hereinabove set out by the said Alex O’Nan over a period of several years under identical clauses of labor contracts between the parties, resulted in a construction of the meaning of such clauses, and that the plaintiff has the right to assign such duties to [56]*56the said Alex O’Nan without requiring him to become a member of the union.”

Clause 1(A) of the contract is as follows—

“This agreement shall be applicable to employees of the Company (hereinafter referred to as “production and maintenance employees”) engaged in the fabrication of wire products, steel and metal products or in the maintenance work in or about the Company’s shop or shops located at Louisville, Kentucky and vicinity, and to work done by such production and maintenance employees. The Company hereby recognizes and confirms the right of such employees to all work done by the Company at its shop or shops in connection with the fabrication of wire products, steel and metal products and in connection with such maintenance work, and for the duration of this agreement grants such work jurisdiction to such employees solely and to the exclusion of all other Unions, crafts or employee groups. This agreement is not intended and shall not be construed to extend to office or clerical employees, watchmen, guards, or supervisors, nor to erection, installation or construction work or to employees engaged in such work.”

Clause 4(A) of the contract is as follows' — ■

“Each of the Company’s production and maintenance employees in the unit, as defined in Section 1 hereof, shall, as a condition of employment, be or become a member of the Union not later the thirty-first day following the effective date of this agreement, or not later than the thirty-first day following the beginning of his or her employment, whichever is the later. Each such production and maintenance employee shall, as a condition of continued employment, remain a member of the Union in good standing to the extent authorized by Section 8(a) (3) of the Labor-Management Relations Act,. 1947”.

The answer of the defendant Union contained three defenses; the first defense alleged that the “meaning and legal effect of the contract between the plaintiffs and defendants” and particularly paragraphs 21 A and 21BV was that if either party refuses to arbitrate a dispute arising under the contract, neither party is entitled to-litigate the merks of such dispute “botb parties being limited instead to their respective economic remedies of strike or lock-out.”

This contention was followed by an allegation that defendants had refused to submit to arbitration of the dispute concerning-the status of Alex O’Nan, who the plaintiffs were contending was a supervisor and. the defendants were contending was a production employee, and contending that theplcadings presented no justiciable issue, defendants asked for a judgment under Rule 12(c) of the Rules of Civil Procedure, 28-U.S.C.A.

The second defense alleged that the National Labor Relations Board assumed jurisdiction of the plaintiffs’ business by certifying the defendant Union as the exclusive bargaining agent of the plaintiff company and that all matters here involved' were exclusively within the jurisdiction of the National Labor Relations Board, under the provisions of Section 159, Title 29 U.S~ C.A.

For this reason, defendants asked for a summary judgment.

The third defense was a denial of every allegation contained in the petition, except those in the first, second, and fourth literary paragraphs and a minor part of the third; literary paragraph.

Defendants, at the time of filing their answer, made formal demand in writing for a trial by jury of all of the issues raised by the third defense.

For the reasons hereinafter set forth, the-Court is of the opinion that defendants are not entitled to a jury trial in this action.

Defendants’ Counsel contended that the sole issue upon which he desired a jury-trial, or on account of which he was entitled to a jury trial was to have determined the number of hours the foreman in the Iron Shop, Alex O’Nan spent in doing.the [57]*57work which the men under his supervision were doing.

The Court makes the following—

Findings of Fact

1. Plaintiffs R. E. Morrison, H. L. Covert, J. L. Covert and A. W. Diebold, as partners, are engaged in business under the name of Kentucky Metal Products Company, at Louisville, Kentucky, and are engaged in Interstate Commerce.

2. Defendant, Shopmen’s Local ■ Union 682 of The International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers, A. F. of L. is a. Labor Union ■comprised of employees of the plaintiff ■company.

Defendants, Russell C. Stanley and ■Claude Davis, are respectively President and Recording Secretary of defendant .union.

3. This Court has jurisdiction of the parties and of the subject matter under the provisions of the Labor Management Act of 1947, Section 185(a), Title 29 U.S.C.A.

4. On June 1, 1952, plaintiffs and defendant Labor Union entered into a labor agreement, which by its terms, extends to October 13, 1953. This agreement applied to employees of the Company engaged in the fabrication of wire products, steel and metal products, or in the maintenance work, but was not intended and does not extend to •supervisors or persons engaged in supervisory work.

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Bluebook (online)
114 F. Supp. 54, 32 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2585, 1953 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 3914, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morrison-v-shopmens-local-union-682-of-international-assn-of-bridge-kywd-1953.