Musical Mutual Protective Union v. Weber

123 Misc. 182, 205 N.Y.S. 599, 1924 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 972
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedApril 1, 1924
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 123 Misc. 182 (Musical Mutual Protective Union v. Weber) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Musical Mutual Protective Union v. Weber, 123 Misc. 182, 205 N.Y.S. 599, 1924 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 972 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1924).

Opinion

Black, J.

The findings bring out practically every point insisted upon by both sides to this litigation,- but the following brief memorandum sets out some of the outstanding facts they may not. [183]*183cover. This is an action by the Musical Protective Union against the officers of the American Federation of Musicians, and the secretary of the governing board of Local 802, and against Samuel Finkelstein, William J. Kerngood, Edward Canavan, George Schroeder and Maurice Rauch, individually, to reinstate Local 310 and cause it to be again affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians, and to enjoin defendants from coercing, compelling, intimidating, inducing, or attempting to coerce, compel, intimidate or induce, any employer or bandmaster not to employ or to dismiss members of plaintiff in good standing because they are not union men or are not members of the American Federation of Musicians or are not members of Local 802, or to enjoin defendants from preventing members of the American Federation of Musicians or Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, from working, and to enjoin them from interfering with any employer or bandmaster because he has given employment to members of plaintiff, whether such member is a member of the Associated Musicians of Greater New York or the American Federation of Musicians, Local 802. Plaintiff seeks further to enjoin defendants to recall or cancel any charter granted by the American Federation of Musicians to Local 802 ” and to enjoin them from recognizing Local 802 or recognizing its officers, Edward Canavan, its president, or any other organization affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians in the territory heretofore occupied by the plaintiff, and plaintiff seeks to enjoin defendants to cancel and revoke all cards or indicia of membership in any local of the American Federation except plaintiff, Local 310, and to compel the officers of Local 802 to surrender any charter outstanding issued by the American Federation of Musicians, and that they be restrained from interfering with the purposes and objects of plaintiff Local 310 or their members. And plaintiff asks that it be decreed that Local 802 has no lawful existence as a member of the American Federation of Musicians, and that any act suspending or purporting to suspend plaintiff “ be as of no legal force or effect, and that plaintiff and its members are entitled to recognition by the American Federation of Musicians and its officers,” and that plaintiff’s members be reinstated into all benefits, rights and privileges and immunities theretofore enjoyed by it and them and each of them in affiliation with the American Federation of Musicians and the American Federation of Labor,” and that Local 802 or any of its members have no standing in the American Federation of Musicians independent of membership in Local 310, and that the suspension of plaintiff be decreed to be null, void and illegal and rescinded, as without warrant of law, and that defendants be restrained from coercing or attempting to [184]*184coerce any employer or bandmaster not to employ or to dismiss from his employment members of plaintiff in good standing for the reason that said member of plaintiff is not a union man or not affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians or with the Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, or with the American Federation of Labor,” or that defendants be restrained from issuing any notice or communication representing that any member of the plaintiff is not a member in good standing of the American Federation of Musicians, or that by reason thereof such employer will suffer or is likely to suffer loss, trouble or difficulty by reason of employing such persons,” or that such employer or bandmaster will be placed on an unfair list, and that other employees will be withdrawn from his employ, and that defendants be enjoined from disciplining, punishing or discriminating against any employer or bandmaster because he has given employment to a member of plaintiff in good standing. In June, 1920, or a little earlier, a wage controversy arose between musicians who were members of plaintiff and the theatres in which they played. These theatres were so-called legitimate houses and “ two-a-day ” houses. The controversy between the legitimates and their employees was settled by a fifty per cent increase, but the musicians in the "two-a-day houses (through their negotiation committees) had been unable to agree with the theatrical managers as to wages. The two-a-day managers and plaintiff could not agree. The plaintiff had refused further negotiation with them, and the managers appealed to the national body, the American Federation of Musicians, under article XI of its by-laws, to intervene and compose the differences. The American Federation of Musicians brought about a settlement at a forty per cent raise. This was ratified by plaintiff at a members’ meeting under protest. The settlement at forty per cent increase for the two-a-day men was bitterly opposed by one element of the membership of plaintiff 310, and this element organized what was called the Quorum Club, whose object was to fight those who had favored the settlement which gave the two-a-day men the forty per cent increase. At a meeting thereafter the president, Finkelstein, appointed Nicholas Mulieri and C. B. Wilson sergeants-at-arms, the by-laws providing that these shall be appointed by the president, with the consent of the board of directors. Finkelstein also appointed an attorney, Thomas C. Press, who was then acting as attorney of 310, but he was not satisfactory to the majority of the board of directors. This majority, of whom Kunze, Matera, Donnelly, Rosenthal, A. G. Sharpe, A. Sonkin, Etzel and Leo Shapiro were members of the Quorum Club, had agreed upon Jacob J. Schwebel as attorney for [185]*185the Local 310, but Finkelstein refused to recognize him, and there was a deadlock between the majority of the directors and the president. The directors of plaintiff at a meeting suspended President Finkelstein. Finkelstein appealed under the by-laws of the American Federation of Musicians to the president of the American Federation of Musicians for a stay of the judgment suspending him, which was granted. The directors of plaintiff (the majority of whom were members of the Quorum Club) refused to recognize the stay of suspension of Finkelstein. Thereafter defendant Weber, president of the federation, suspended the eight Quorum Club directors as members of the federation, giving as a reason their refusal to recognize the stay of suspension granted to Finkelstein by Weber. The directors were afterwards reinstated by order of the Supreme Court, the learned justice before whom the hearing was held deciding that the American Federation of Musicians had no right to interfere with the internal control of Local 310. Thereafter, on the 27th day of August, 1921, Local 802 was organized by the American Federation of Musicians under a so-called commission form of government, providing that its officers should be nominated by or be satisfactory to the American Federation of Musicians. Local 802 was organized by men, many of whom were members of the plaintiff. At first an application was presented to the American Federation of Musicians, but as there were only some 64 names the applicants were told to go and get more names, which they did, returning afterwards with 1,180 printed applications, which set forth the terms upon which they wished to be chartered as a local in New York city by the American Federation of Musicians. It appears that plaintiff Local 310 recognized the organization of 802 and passed a resolution allowing its members to join 802 without prejudice.

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Taussig v. Weber
123 Misc. 180 (New York Supreme Court, 1924)

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Bluebook (online)
123 Misc. 182, 205 N.Y.S. 599, 1924 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 972, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/musical-mutual-protective-union-v-weber-nysupct-1924.