Peltzman v. American Radio Ass'n

69 Misc. 2d 17, 327 N.Y.S.2d 505, 79 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2539, 1971 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1001
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 28, 1971
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 69 Misc. 2d 17 (Peltzman v. American Radio Ass'n) 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
Peltzman v. American Radio Ass'n, 69 Misc. 2d 17, 327 N.Y.S.2d 505, 79 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2539, 1971 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1001 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1971).

Opinion

Max Bloom, J.

By this suit plaintiff seeks a mandatory injunction restoring him to membership in the defendant union; directing that defendant issue a clearance slip requiring his assignment to a specific vessel; and for damages alleged to have resulted from the purported improper dismissal from his job. [18]*18The motion to dismiss and the cross motion for directory relief pose the issue of Federal pre-emption and the jurisdiction of this court.

I.

At one time more than 20 years ago, plaintiff had been a member of defendant. In 1949, his license was revoked by the Coast Guard. By reason thereof he was no longer eligible to hold a position on a vessel and the union transferred him to inactive status.

The plaintiff stopped paying his union dues after he had lost his license. On March 31, 1950, he was expelled by defendant under a clause of its constitution which provides: ‘1 All members shall pay dues quarterly in advance. All members more than six months in arrears shall be automatically expelled. An expelled member to reenter the Union shall only be able to do so in accordance with the permit card provisions of this Constitution.” Defendant asserts that, at the time of his expulsion, plaintiff was in arrears in the payment of his dues for more than six months. Plaintiff does not deny that he was in arrears in dues payments for the specified time. However, he contends that the union, by placing him in an inactive status, relieved him of the obligation to pay dues. In effect, he asserts that his membership in the union was in a state of suspension and that he became eligible for reinstatement to active membership upon obtaining a job and paying his dues, without payment of any new initiation fee.

Be that as it may, plaintiff thereafter regained his license and, as a permit card holder, the union, in 1969, referred him to a steamship company which placed him on one of its vessels. Under the collective agreement subsisting between the union and the steamship company all employees in the bargaining unit were required to become and remain members of the union within 30 days next following the commencement of their employment.

While the plaintiff paid quarterly dues as a permit card holder, he never paid the required initiation fee. On January 13, 1971, plaintiff was notified by the union that he was required to pay the initiation fee, together with all arrearages in dues, within 30 days. The letter of notification concluded with the sentence ‘ ‘ If such payment is not made, we shall have no alternative than to request your immediate discharge by the Company.” The plaintiff, contending that his transfer to inactive [19]*19status in 1949 automatically left him with union membership, refused to pay the initiation fee. Discharge from his employment followed.

n

Following his discharge, plaintiff filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board charging that the union had violated section 8 (subd. [b], par. [1], subpar. [A] and par. [2]) of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended (U. S. Code, tit. 29, § 158, subd. [b], par. [1], subpar. [A] and par. [2]). That section provides that it shall be an unfair labor practice for a labor organization to restrain or coerce employees in the exercise of rights guaranteed in section 7 (U. S. 'Code, tit. 29, § 157) or to cause or attempt to cause an employer to discriminate against an employee. Section 7 guarantees the right of self-organization for purposes of collective bargaining as well as the right to refrain from such activities.

Sections 7 and 8 (subd. [b], par. [2]) contain certain exceptions which are here most pertinent. Both incorporate by reference so much of section 8 (subd. [a], par. [3]) (IT. S. Code, tit. 29, § 158, subd. [a], par. [3]) as exempts from the prohibited discrimination discharge of an employee for failure to comply with a valid union shop provision of a collective bargaining agreement.

The National Labor Relations Board, Region 2, by letter dated October 26,1971, informed the plaintiff that it had investigated the charges and found them to be without merit. Accordingly, it refused to issue any complaint against defendant. Thereafter, on October 29, 1971, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the NLRB, appeal was taken by plaintiff to the General Counsel of the NLRB from the refusal of Region 2 to issue a complaint. So far as is here indicated that appeal is still pending and undetermined.

The initial action brought by plaintiff against defendant in this court was dismissed, without prejudice, by order of Mr. Justice Gelliitoff, dated October 6, 1971, on the ground that service of process had been improperly made. Thereafter, on October 18, 1971, while plaintiff’s charge was still pending and undetermined before Region 2, this action was instituted.

Ill

The concept of federalism in labor relations finds origin in the interstate commerce and Federal supremacy clauses of the Constitution (U. S. Const., art. I, § 8 and art. VI). It would [20]*20serve no useful purpose to trace the applicability of the doctrine of pre-emption to labor relations from the initial, tentative determinations (cf. Allen-Bradley Local v. Board, 315 U. S. 740; Auto Workers v. Wisconsin Bd., 336 U. S. 245; Algoma Plywood Co. v. Wisconsin Bd., 336 U. S. 301; Bus Employees v. Wisconsin Bd., 340 U. S. 383) to the emergence of the doctrine as one of general application (Garner v. Teamsters Union, 346 U. S. 485; Weber v. Anheuser-Busch, 348 U. S. 468). It is enough to point out that the full scope of the doctrine soon thereafter found definition in four cases (Guss v. Utah Labor Bd., 353 U. S. 1; Meat Cutters v. Fairlawn Meats, 353 U. S. 20; San Diego Unions v. Garmon [Garmon I], 353 U. S. 26; San Diego Unions v. Garmon [Garmon II], 359 U. S. 236). These decisions made plain that subdivision (a) of section 10 of the National Labor Act (U. S. Code, tit. 29, § 160, subd. [a]), which entrusted power to the board to prevent any person from engaging in any unfair labor practice (listed in section 8 of this title) affecting commerce ” vested the board with exclusive power to enforce rights protected under section 7 and to compel cessation of activities prohibited by section 8. Indeed they went further in limiting State jurisdiction by pointing out that ‘

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69 Misc. 2d 17, 327 N.Y.S.2d 505, 79 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2539, 1971 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1001, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/peltzman-v-american-radio-assn-nysupct-1971.