National Labor Relations Board v. Local 57, International Union of Operating Engineers

201 F.2d 771, 31 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2344, 1953 U.S. App. LEXIS 3510
CourtCourt of Appeals for the First Circuit
DecidedFebruary 3, 1953
Docket4659
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 201 F.2d 771 (National Labor Relations Board v. Local 57, International Union of Operating Engineers) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the First Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
National Labor Relations Board v. Local 57, International Union of Operating Engineers, 201 F.2d 771, 31 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2344, 1953 U.S. App. LEXIS 3510 (1st Cir. 1953).

Opinion

HARTIGAN, Circuit Judge.

The National Labor Relations Board, pursuant to the National Labor Relations Act, as. amended, 61 Stat. 136, 29 U.S.C.A. § 151 et seq., has petitioned this court for enforcement of its order of December 11, 1951, under § 10(c) of the Act, against the respondent Local 57,. International Union of Operating Engineers and its business agent, John White.

The respondent union includes some employees of the M. A. Gammino Construction Company, hereinafter called Gammino, a general contractor and builder engaged in the construction of roads, bridges, and airports, with its principal office in Providence, Rhode Island. In the course of its operations, it requires a great amount of materials and equipment which are shipped to it across state lines. The respondents concede that the Board has jurisdiction over the operations of Gammino' and that, if the respondents engaged in unfair labor practices, such unfair labor practices affected commerce.

The Board found that respondents violated §§ 8(b) (2) and 8(b) (1) (A)* of the Act by executing an illegal union-security contract with Gammino, by engaging in discriminatory hiring-hall practices, and by causing Gammino. to discriminatorily discharge John Lamantia in violation of § 8(a) (3) of the Act.

The respondents, in their brief, state that they do not contest the entry of a decree enforcing those portions of the Board’s order which relate to the June 2, 1950, contract with Gammino and to the hiring-hall referral card system, except to the extent that such an order should not have been issued, and the findings on which the order was based should not have 'been made, without joining Gammino as a respondent. They also contend that the contract and the hiring-hall practices did not result in the discharge of Lamantia.

This admission by the respondents narrows the issues in this case so that the following recitation of the facts surrounding the, hiring and firing of Lamantia is all that is necessary to disclose the basis of *773 those findings of the Board which are disputed by respondents.

While working at the Hillsgrove airport in Rhode Island, Gammino was using a Marion crane to dig trenches and lay pipe under hazardous water conditions. This work required the services of a competent drag-line operator and Gammino was having difficulty in obtaining the services of such an operator. On Friday, June 30, the man who had been operating the Marion crane was discharged and master mechanic Fiore advised President Frank Gammino that a new operator was needed immediately to replace him. Job superintendent Farone conveyed the same information to Vice President Thomas Gammino. Frank Gammino told Fiore to hire John Lamantia —known from previous employment with the company as a competent operator, — subject only to the condition that if respondents referred a competent operator, Lamantia “couldn’t go to work.” Thereupon Frank Gammino called respondent White, the local business agent of the Union, complained about incompetent operators and demanded a competent operator for the Marion crane by the next working day. Frank Gammino emphasized that unless his demand was met, he would hire Lamantia whom he had previously employed on a Connecticut job. White assured Frank Gammino that he would comply, and that evening Thomas Gammino made a similar demand of Joseph R. Murray, an employee of the Union, who replied that he would meet the demand.

On Sunday morning, July 2, Fiore telephoned foreman Traficante and told him that Frank Gammino had ordered the hiring of Lamantia to operate the Marion crane. Accordingly, that evening Traficante communicated with Lamantia, told him to report to the Marion crane the following morning, and directed that he try to get there a little early “so we can have some trenches opened up.” Lamantia, a member of the New Haven, Connecticut, local of the same international union, and conversant with respondent Union’s procedures, promptly asked “How about the Union”, and Traficante replied “That will be taken care of. It’s Frank’s (Gammino) orders.”

In the meantime, on Saturday, July 1, John E. Adams, a member of respondent Union for eight years, was issued a referral card for the job Lamantia was hired to fill.

On Monday morning, July 3, Lamantia proceeded directly to the Marion crane pursuant to‘ Traficante’s instructions and started work. Shortly thereafter Adams, armed with his referral slip from Local 57, reported to timekeeper Bussey who pointed out the Marion crane to Adams. Adams proceeded to the crane and when he found Lamantia already operating it, sought unsuccessfully to have Lamantia get off. Adams then returned to the time office and by telephone reported the situation to White who immediately instructed Adams to insist upon replacing Lamantia and if that failed, to “tell the other boys not to go to work.” Lamantia persisted in his refusal and Adams told all but one of the workers that White had ordered them to' “come off the job.”

While these events were taking place, White ordered Roland W. Burt, a trustee and auditor of the Union, to go to the job site and “see what the trouble is down there.” By the time Burt arrived, the men had already quit their work, and Burt directed that they were not to go 1 back to work until Lamantia was off the job. Bussey, witnessing these events, immediately reported to Byron Gammino, one of the company officials, and at his direction, Lamantia was promptly discharged. Thereupon the men returned to work pursuant to orders from White who had been told of the company’s action. Within a few minutes thereafter, Adams took over the operation of the crane at Thomas Gammino’s direction.

On the entire' record, the Board found that the respondents caused the discriminatory discharge of Lamantia in violation of § 8(b) (2), and § 8(b) (1) (A).

The Board issued the usual order to cease and desist and to make whole Lamantia “in the manner provided in Pen & Pencil Workers Union, Local 19593, 91 NLRB 883, *774 and F. W. Woolwortli Company, 90 NLRB 289,” and to take certain affirmative action.

Respondents in their brief rely upon the following points: (1) the Board erred in denying respondents’ motion to add Gammiho as a respondent; (2) the finding of the Board that the respondents caused the discriminatory discharge of John Lamantia is not supported by substantial evidence on the record considered as a whole; (3) the order of the Board should be modified so that it will 'become operative only if and when Lamantia becomes legally and physically qualified for employment with Gammino as a crane operator; and (4) the method of computing back pay provided in the Board’s order is not appropriate in this case.

The first point relied upon is without merit. Respondents contend that in order to find that they caused “an employer to discriminate against an employee in violation of subsection (a) (3) ” the employer must be before the Board. We think the language of the Act does not support this interpretation. It is true that the language requires that the Board must find that the employer has committed an unfair labor practice in violation of § 8(a) (3) in order to find that the Union has violated § 8(b) (2), but this does not mean that the employer is an indispensable party in finding against a union.

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201 F.2d 771, 31 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2344, 1953 U.S. App. LEXIS 3510, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-labor-relations-board-v-local-57-international-union-of-ca1-1953.