Morse v. Local Union No. 1058 Carpenters & Joiners of American Federation of Labor

304 P.2d 1097, 78 Idaho 405, 1956 Ida. LEXIS 295, 39 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2257
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 18, 1956
Docket8437
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 304 P.2d 1097 (Morse v. Local Union No. 1058 Carpenters & Joiners of American Federation of Labor) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Morse v. Local Union No. 1058 Carpenters & Joiners of American Federation of Labor, 304 P.2d 1097, 78 Idaho 405, 1956 Ida. LEXIS 295, 39 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2257 (Idaho 1956).

Opinion

*407 PORTER, Justice.

By his complaint in this action, appellant seeks both actual and punitive damages arising from his discharge from his employment as a carpenter. He alleges that his discharge was brought about by and resulted from the wrongful acts and conduct of defendants. Respondents, by their answer, among other things, allege that the acts and conduct of which appellant complains, if true, constitute unfair labor practices; that the trial court has no jurisdiction to entertain this suit and that exclusive jurisdiction over the matters involved in this action lies with the National Labor Relations Board.

At the close of plaintiff’s case at the trial, defendants moved for a nonsuit on the ground that the trial court had no jurisdiction to try the cause which motion was by the court granted and the cause dismissed. From such judgment of dismissal, appellant has appealed to this court.

On September 20, 1954, S. M. Horman, of the Horman Construction Company, a co-partnership, had a contract with the J. C. Penney Company, to purchase the building and site occupied by the J. C. Penney store in Twin Falls. The Horman Construction Company was to tear down the old building and erect a new one and the J. C. Penney Company had been given a long term lease on the new building. The S. M. Horman Construction Company was a Salt Lake City, Utah, firm and was engaged in the construction business in Utah, Idaho and Nevada.

Appellant was a carpenter living in Twin Falls and had lived there for thirty-five years. He was a member in good standing of the Carpenters & Joiners of America, a branch of American Federation of Labor, and had his membership in Local No. 55, *408 Jerome, Idaho. He was not a member of the Twin Falls Local Union of Carpenters & Joiners No. 1116. On the evening of September 20, 1954, appellant met S. M. Horman near the J. C. Penney building and applied for a job as a carpenter in tearing down the old building and the construction of the new building. Witness, S. M. Horman, testified that the following conversation then took place:

“Q. What happened there with reference to you and Mr. Morse ? A. He started to telling me what they were going to do. He was talking with another man—
“Q. I mean the evening you hired him. A. That is what I mean. He was talking with another man, telling him what was going to go on. I stopped — just looking there. He turned to me. He said, ‘They are going to build a new building here.’ I said, ‘Yes, I know. I am going to build it.’ He said, ‘Well, that’s fine. Can you give me a job? I am a carpenter.’ I said, ‘Well, I am going to run a union job, so are you a union man?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘You are in good standing?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Are you from Twin Falls?’ He said, ‘Yes, I live here, have for years.’ I said, ‘Well, are you permitted to rustle your own work or do you have to clear with the Union?’ He said, ‘No, we can rustle our work.’ I said, ‘Okeh, you can come on the job in the morning, then, and go to work.’ ”

Appellant was thereupon employed as a carpenter and went to work the following morning.

Respondent, Alex Nelson, was the business agent of Twin Falls Local Carpenters & Joiners Union. About one hour after appellant went to work, respondent Nelson appeared at the building being torn down and there advised Horman that appellant could not work on such job as he was not a member of the local union. Horman testified that the following conversation then took place between the witness, Morse and Nelson:

“Q. Now, can you remember just what was said by all three of you people at that time? A. Well, I asked Mr. Morse — I said, ‘Aren’t you a member of the Union?’ He said, ‘Yes, I am.’ I said, ‘This gentleman says that you are not a member of this Local.’ He says, ‘That don’t make any difference. I am a member of the Jerome Local; I live here, and it entitles me to work here.’ I said, ‘Well, you would have to transfer in here.’ He said, T will transfer. I will transfer immediately.’ But the business agent said, ‘Well, you can’t transfer in here. We are filled up. And we have got men that are not employed. We are going to use our Twin Falls men first.’
*409 “Q. This business agent, what did he say to Mr. Morse besides that? A. He told him he couldn’t work. He said, ‘You can’t work here. We have got our own men that have got to go to work. Some of them have got to have employment.’
“Q. Did you say anything? A. I said, ‘Mr. Morse,’ I said, ‘you have got to get yourself straightened up with the Union if you want to work on the job.’ ”

Both the Jerome Local Union No. 555 and the Twin Falls Local Union No. 1116 were members of the Rocky Mountain District Council of Carpenters of Idaho. The rules of such Council provide that local qualified carpenters shall always have preference on local projects.

Appellant had worked about one hour and never thereafter worked on the project.

Local Union No. 555 of Jerome and Local Union No. 1116 of Twin Falls were later consolidated as Local Union No. 1058 under which designation the consolidated union is a party to this action as a defendant.

In the demolition of the old building and the construction of the new building and in its construction work in Idaho and Nevada, the Horman Construction Company shipped materials from Utah; let numerous subcontracts to Utah firms and otherwise engaged in interstate commerce in its general construction work.

Under the Federal Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, unfair labor practices are defined in part in 29 U.S.C.A. § 158, as follows:

“(a) It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer—
* * * * * *
“(3) by discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization * * *.
“(b) It shall be an unfair labor practice , for a labor organization or its agents—
“(2) to cause or attempt to cause an employer to discriminate against an employee in violation of subsection (a) (3) of this section or to discriminate against an employee with respect to whom membership in such organization has been denied or terminated on some ground other than his failure to tender the periodic dues and the initiation fees uniformly required as a condition of acquiring or retaining membership; * *

29 U.S.C.A. § 160(a), reads in part as follows:

*410 “(a) The Board is empowered, as hereinafter provided, to prevent any person from engaging in any unfair labor practice (listed in section 158 of this title) affecting commerce. This power shall not be affected by any other means of adjustment or prevention that has been or may be established by agreement, law, or otherwise; * * * >>

29 U.S.C.A. § 152, subsection (7), reads as follows:

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304 P.2d 1097, 78 Idaho 405, 1956 Ida. LEXIS 295, 39 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2257, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/morse-v-local-union-no-1058-carpenters-joiners-of-american-federation-idaho-1956.