National Labor Relations Board v. United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Afl-Cio

259 F.2d 741, 42 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2799, 1958 U.S. App. LEXIS 5080
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedOctober 9, 1958
Docket12273_1
StatusPublished

This text of 259 F.2d 741 (National Labor Relations Board v. United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Afl-Cio) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh 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. United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Afl-Cio, 259 F.2d 741, 42 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2799, 1958 U.S. App. LEXIS 5080 (7th Cir. 1958).

Opinion

SCHNACKENBERG, Circuit Judge.

The National Labor Relations Board (herein referred to as the Board), pursuant to § 10(e) of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended, 1 has filed in this court its petition for enforcement of its order of June 28, 1957 2 against United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, AFL-CIO (herein referred to as the Brotherhood), and two local unions, Nos. 377 and 633, and the Carpenters District Council of Madison County, Illinois (herein referred to as the Unions), all affiliated with the Brotherhood. The Board found that the Brotherhood and the Unions violated § 8(b) (2) and (1) (A) of the Act. In addition, the Board found that Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation, the employer herein involved (referred to herein as the Cor *742 poration), and the Brotherhood in May 1955 and thereafter were still maintaining and enforcing a closed shop as provided for in the “International Agreement” below referred to, post 2 and thereby the Corporation violated § 8(a) (3) and (1) of the Act. The Corporation has complied with the Board’s order and it is not a respondent in this proceeding.

Following the filing of charges, complaints and responsive answers, a trial examiner heard the evidence of the parties, including oral testimony of witnesses, and made an Intermediate Report, which included his findings of fact and conclusions. The Board reviewed the Intermediate Report and entered the order which we are asked to enforce.

There is no dispute that, under date of March 12, 1946, the Corporation and the Brotherhood executed the following document:

“International Agreement “Memorandum of Agreement between the firm of Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation, 17 Battery Place, N. Y. C. and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.
“We, the firm of Merritt-Chapman & Scott Corporation Agree to recognize the jurisdiction claims of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, to work the hours, pay the wages and abide by the rules and regulations established or agreed upon by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America of the locality in which any work of our company is being done, and employ members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners only. (Italics supplied for emphasis.)
“No change to be made in the hours and wages in any locality, and no conditions imposed other than are enforced on all Local firms.
“In consideration of the foregoing, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America agree that no stoppage of work or any strike of its members, either collectively or individually, shall be entered into pending any dispute being investigated and all peaceable means taken to bring about a settlement.”

The General Counsel alleged that on and after May 1955 3 the Corporation and the Brotherhood maintained and enforced the foregoing agreement.

The Brotherhood relies on the following part of § 102 of the Act of June 23, 1947: 4

“ * * * the provisions of section 8(a) (3) and section 8(b) (2) of the National Labor Relations Act as amended by this title shall not make an unfair labor practice the performance of any obligation under a collective-bargaining agreement entered into prior to the date of the enactment of this Act, or (in the case of an agreement for a period of not more than one year) entered into on or after such date of enactment, but prior to the effective date of this title, if the performance of such obligation would not have constituted an unfair labor practice under section 8(3) of the National Labor Re-tions Act prior to the effective date of this title unless such agreement was renewed or extended subsequent thereto.”

The Brotherhood contends that the International Agreement is a collective-bargaining agreement, within the pur *743 view of § 102. This contention the Board rejected. Without resolving that question, we note that § 102 has language meant to impose time limitations upon its operation. It has a saving clause, as to labor practices made unfair by the 1947 act, which clause refers to any collective-bargaining agreement entered into prior to the date of June 23, 1947 and, in substance, removes the effect of the savings clause upon a renewal or extension of such an agreement subsequently thereto. The agreement here involved does not provide for any definite period of time during which it shall be in effect. The saving clause does not contemplate an agreement without any expiration date. If we were to apply its language to the International Agreement in this case we would be attributing to congress an intent to keep alive indefinitely an agreement which was in direct conflict with the purpose of the act. We cannot find such an intent in the language of § 102. Stripped of the benefits of the savings clause in § 102, the International Agreement’s establishment of a closed shop was barred by the 1947 act and constitutes no defense for any of the respondents in this case. However the fact that it was entered into in 1946 and was considered (although mistakenly) by respondents to be still in effect through May 1955 tends to characterize the statements and acts of several officers and agents of the respondents.

In determining whether there is substantial evidence in the record before the Board to support its findings that a closed shop was maintained in this case, Universal Camera Corp. v. N. L. R. B., 340 U.S. 474, 71 S.Ct. 456, 95 L.Ed. 456, it is significant to note that the hiring procedure followed for 20 years by the Corporation and the Unions, including the years 1954 and 1955, was, as a matter of fact, in accordance with the terms of the International Agreement, the closed shop provisions of which had been effectually terminated by the act of 1947. Also there is evidence that the closed shop provision in said agreement was still being maintained and enforced after May 1955.

Vice-president Mynatt of the Corporation testified that this agreement has been in the Corporation file since it was signed in 1946 but that he did not believe

“anyone has ever pulled it out to look at it until shortly before this case came up. It was one of those things that was filed and forgotten. We did in the late summer, probably it was around August or later, of ’55 specifically state the agreement was not in effect.”

He further testified that the Corporation policies “today” are generally the same as they were before 1946 and since 1946 and that the agreement did not affect its labor policy one way or the other.

Mynatt also testified that the Corporation abided by the rules established by the Brotherhood in the locality in which its work was being done and employed members of the Brotherhood only, but he testified that it was not because of the Agreement but rather it was the Corporation’s normal method of operation.

Thomas J.

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259 F.2d 741, 42 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2799, 1958 U.S. App. LEXIS 5080, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/national-labor-relations-board-v-united-brotherhood-of-carpenters-and-ca7-1958.