Ohio Civil Service Employes Ass'n v. Division 11 of the Ohio Dept. of Highways

272 N.E.2d 919, 28 Ohio Misc. 153, 57 Ohio Op. 2d 83, 78 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3001, 1970 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 290
CourtTuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedDecember 2, 1970
DocketNo. 41321
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 272 N.E.2d 919 (Ohio Civil Service Employes Ass'n v. Division 11 of the Ohio Dept. of Highways) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tuscarawas County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ohio Civil Service Employes Ass'n v. Division 11 of the Ohio Dept. of Highways, 272 N.E.2d 919, 28 Ohio Misc. 153, 57 Ohio Op. 2d 83, 78 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3001, 1970 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 290 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1970).

Opinion

Lamneck, J.

The plaintiff in this action, The Ohio Civil Service Employes Association, filed a complaint in this court on October 15, 1970, setting up two causes of action against the defendants, Division 11, Ohio Department of Highways; Levi Kimball, Division Deputy Director Ohio Department of Highways; Joint Organizing Council of Operating Engineers and Laborers Union; Carl W. Ray, Coordinator, Joint Organizing Council of Operating Engineers and Laborers Union; Thomas J. Arconti, Regional Manager, Laborers International Union of North America and as Representative of Joint Organizing Council of Operating Engineers and Laborers Union; William Grace, District Representative International Union of Operating Engineers and as Representative of Joint Organizing Council of Operating Engineers and Laborers Union; John Doe, [155]*155whose real name and address are unknown and Richard Roe, whose real name and address are unknown, in which it seeks to permanently enjoin said defendants from unlawfully interfering with the alleged contractural relationship between the plaintiff and the Deputy Director of Division 11 of the Ohio Department of Highways and for other relief.

It is alleged in the complaint that on or about April 14, 1967, the then Deputy Director of Division 11 of the Ohio Department of Highways entered into a “Basie Collective Negotiations Agreement” (later amended) with the plaintiff Association, a copy of which is attached to and made a part of the complaint, covering seven purposes set forth in Article I of the same agreement.

Article II of said Agreement reads as follows:

“The Employer recognizes the Association as the exclusive negotiating agent and representative of all classified employees and laborers in Division 11, Ohio Department of Highways, and the Association accepts the responsibility of representing the intersts of all employees in the aforesaid agency, whether or not they are members of the Association, with respect to matters concerning their employment relations with their employer. Nothing in this agreement, however, shall preclude an individual employee from representing himself or having an individual represent him in his individual employment relations matter.”
The complaint further alleges that on or about October 12, 1970, the defendant, Levi Kimball as Division Deputy Director of Division 11 of the Ohio Department of Highways entered into a purported agreement with the defendant, Joint Organizing Council of Operating Engineers and Laborers Union, executed by the defendant, Thomas J. Arconti, its Regional Manager, and by the defendant, William Grace, its District Representative, which purports to recognize and acknowledge the. Joint Organizing Council as a representative of said Division 11 employes who are members of the unions making up the Joint Organizing Council.

[156]*156Basically the plaintiff association among other things seeks to restrain the defendant, Levi Kimball, as Deputy Director of Division 11 of the Ohio Department of Highways from recognizing the said Joint Organizing Conncil and its constituent unions as bargaining representatives of the classified employes of Division 11, who are members of such unions. It bases its prayer for an injunction on said Article II of its agreement with the Deputy Director of Division 11, which purports to recognize said plaintiff association “as the exclusive negotiating agent and representative of all classified employees and laborers in Division 11, Ohio Department of Highways.”

The defendants, the said Joint Organizing Council and the individually named defendants except the said Deputy Director, filed a motion to dismiss this action on November 13,1970, upon the ground that the complaint does not state a cause of action.

On November 16, 1970, the defendant, Levi Kimball, as Deputy Director of Division 11 of the Ohio Department of Highways filed a similar motion to dismiss on the same ground. Said motions to dismiss are the matters now before the court.

The plaintiff now claims that since a motion for a preliminary injunction was heard and decided by the court on October 22,1970, on statements of counsel and some evidence, the court is now without jurisdiction to entertain said motions.

Rule 12(B)(6) of the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure provides that a defense to an action may be made by motion on the ground of “failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”

Rule 12(A)(1) of the Ohio Rules of Civil Procedure provides that a “defendant shall serve his-answer within twenty-eight days after service of the summons and complaint upon him.” The motions to dismiss in this case are to be considered as answers under the aforesaid Rule 12(B)(6).

The record shows that this case was filed on October 15, 1970, that the defendant Levi Kimball received his summons on October 20, 1970, and his motion was filed on No[157]*157vember 16, 1970; that the defendant, William Grace, received his summons on October 19, 1970, and his motion to dismiss was filed on November 13, 1970, and that the other defendants received a copy of their respective summons on October 16,1970.

Under the circumstances the court finds that the respective motions to dismiss were timely filed.

On October 22, 1970, the court heard the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction. At that time the court found “that the plaintiff will not suffer irreparable injury if a preliminary injunction is not granted as prayed for by the plaintiff at this time” and further ordered “that the matter of the issuance of a preliminary or permanent injunction be continued subject to the call of the court, or until this action comes on for trial on its merits.”

The case was set for trial on its merits on November 17, 1970, before the filing of the motions to dismiss. On November 13,1970, the court vacated the order to hear this case on its merits on November 17, 1970, and set the motions to dismiss for hearing.

Buie 65(B)(2) which the plaintiff has cited in support of his claim that the court under the circumstances has no jurisdiction to hear the motions to dismiss in the case, in part reads as follows:

“Before or after the commencement of the hearing of an application for a preliminary injunction, the court may order the trial of the action on its merits to be advanced and consolidated with the hearing of the application.”

This is what the court originally ordered, but this order was vacated by the court after the motions to dismiss this action on the ground that the complaint did not state a cause of action, were filed. In doing this, the court was exercising a proper prerogative which did not contravene the aforesaid Buie 65(B)(2).

The civil service employes working under the supervision and direction of the Deputy Director of Division 11 of the Ohio Department of Highways are authorized to be employed under the civil service laws of this state under B. C. Chapter 143 and B. C. 5501.10.

B. C. Chapter 143 sets out in detail what the rights, [158]*158privileges, duties and obligations of civil service employes are. Nowhere in this chapter is there any authority for the Highway Department to change or alter these statutory provisions by agreement with a labor union or a Civil Service Employees Association. The intent of the Civil Service Laws of this state is to make such laws exclusive.

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272 N.E.2d 919, 28 Ohio Misc. 153, 57 Ohio Op. 2d 83, 78 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3001, 1970 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 290, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ohio-civil-service-employes-assn-v-division-11-of-the-ohio-dept-of-ohctcompltuscar-1970.