Odom v. Thompson

85 F. Supp. 477, 1949 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2487
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Alabama
DecidedJune 30, 1949
DocketCiv. A. No. 5847
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 85 F. Supp. 477 (Odom v. Thompson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Odom v. Thompson, 85 F. Supp. 477, 1949 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2487 (N.D. Ala. 1949).

Opinion

MULLINS, Chief Judge.

This is an action filed on August 12, 1946, pursuant to Section 3(p) of the Railway Labor Act, Section ,153(p), Title 45 U.S. C.A., to enforce an order of the National Railroad Adjustment Board, Fourth Division, hereinafter referred to as the “Board,” entered on May 23, 1945.

The answer of the defendant, Frank A. Thompson, as trustee for St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company, averred that he was relieved as trustee by court order, after the institution of this suit, and that the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company itself is now in possession and operating all of the properties theretofore operated by the trustee. ' The Railway Labor Act and Board action thereunder contemplates an order directed to the “carrier,” -which is defined to include “any person or body in the possession of the business of any carrier.” Cf. Order of Ry. Conductors v. Pitney, 326 U.S. 561, 66 S.Ct. 322, 90 L.Ed. 318. Therefore, it was appropriate for plaintiff to substitute by amendment the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company as the defendant to respond to the order of the Board and the enforcing order of this Court. Cf. Rule 25(c), Rules of Civil Procedure for United States District Courts, 28 U.S.C.A. As used hereinafter, the word “defendant” is used to refer interchangeably to either defendant, depending on which is or was in possession of the -carrier at the time pertinent to the discussion.

Plaintiff was employed by the defendant as Special Officer on December 19, 1939, and served as such until he was discharged by the defendant on September 28, 1942. [479]*479A claim was filed on his behalf before the Board claiming that his discharge was in violation of the fourth paragraph of Section 2 of the Railway Labor Act, Title 45 U.S.C.A. § 152, which provides that “it shall be unlawful for any carrier to interfere in any way with the organization of its employees,” and requesting that plaintiff be reinstated in his former position as Special Officer with compensation for all time lost and seniority rights unimpaired. Plaintiff was completely successful in the proceedings before the Board, but the defendant has not complied with any part of the Board’s order.

The order of the Board, directed to defendant, was as follows: “The St. Louis-San Francisco Railway Company (Frank A. Thompson, Trustee) is hereby Ordered to make effective Award No. 262, made by the Fourth Division of the National Railroad Adjustment Board (copy of which is attached and made part hereof), as therein set forth; and if the Award includes a requirement for the payment of money, to pay to the employee (or employes) the sum to which he is (or they are) entitled under the Award on or before June 23, 1945.”

The award referred to was as follows: “The claim for reinstatement with pay is sustained in accordance with the above Opinion and Findings.”

The findings referred to included the following: “The claimant, Fred Odom, shall be restored to service without impairment of any seniority rights which he may hold and be compensated for all time lost, less any compensation received for work in other employment during the period from and after September 28, 1942.”

The opinion of the Board concludes that the plaintiff “is entitled to be reinstated and receive compensation for all time lost, less any compensation received for work in other employment during the interim.”

It will be noted that the quoted order incorporates by reference the award quoted, and the award in turn incorporates the opinion and findings. Section 3(p) of the Railway Labor Act, Title 45, Section 153 (p), U.S.C.A., under which this suit is brought, provides: “that on the trial of such suit the findings and order of the division of the Adjustment Board shall be prima facie evidence of the facts therein stated.”

In this case, the Board stated the facts primarily in its opinion, but, as indicated, they are in effect incorporated in the Board’s order.

The principal issues between the parties are as follows:

1. Defendant denies that plaintiff’s discharge was because of plaintiff’s connection with an employee organization.

2. Defendant contends the Order of the Board is not enforceable for lack of a time limit in such order, and because the order is not sufficiently definite in its terms.

3. Defendant contends that neither the Board nor this Court has authority to order reinstatement of a discharged employee.

4. Defendant contends that if plaintiff is entitled to recover, his earnings in other employment since his discharge and until the date of trial have so exceeded the salary he would have earned working for defendant that he is not entitled to any money recovery for lost compensation; while plaintiff contends that his right to compensation is fixed as of the date of the filing of this action, and that defendant is not entitled to set off earnings in other employment for the period between the date of the filing of this action and the date of the trial of the case in this court.

These issues will be dealt with in order:

1. Cause of Plaintiff’s Discharge

According to the facts stated in the opinion and order of the Board the weight of prima facie evidence, as required by the statute quoted, and independently of such prima facie evidence upon the conflicting evidence offered in the trial in this court, the Court finds that plaintiff was discharged because of his union organization activity. While the defendant presents evidence of complaints against plaintiff as the actual cause of his discharge, this evidence is not persuasive considering the relatively minor nature of the complaints on the one hand and the strong aversion of plaintiff’s superiors to union activity among the special officers as shown by the evidence, on the other hand.

[480]*480Having thus shown a violation of the provision of Section 2 of the Railway Labor Act, Section 152, Title 45 U.S.C.A., there is a sound basis for an order by the Board to correct the wrong by ‘appropriate order.

This leads us to the question of the sufficiency of the form of the Board’s order as a basis for enforcement in this court.

2. Enforceability of Board’s Order

The' order quoted above, in brief, required defendant to reinstate plaintiff and to pay to plaintiff compensation for time lost, less compensation received for work in other employment, the payment to be made on or before June 23, 1945.

Defendant, relying on the authority, and reasoning of Railroad Yardmaster of North America v. Indiana Harbor Belt R. Co., 7 Cir., 1948, 166 F.2d 326, contends that since Section 3(p) of the Railway Labor Act, Section 153(p), Title 45, U.S.C.A., gives a right to proceed in this court to enforce compliance with an order of the Board only “If a carrier does nto comply with an order of a division of the Adjustment Board within the time limit in such order * * plaintiff has no right to proceed on his claim for . reinstatement here because the order in question does not contain a time limit within which defendant was required to reinstate plaintiff.

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85 F. Supp. 477, 1949 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2487, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/odom-v-thompson-alnd-1949.