Pruter v. Local 210's Pension Trust Fund

858 F.3d 753, 2017 WL 2431756, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 9989
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedJune 6, 2017
DocketDocket No. 16-733-cv
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 858 F.3d 753 (Pruter v. Local 210's Pension Trust Fund) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pruter v. Local 210's Pension Trust Fund, 858 F.3d 753, 2017 WL 2431756, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 9989 (2d Cir. 2017).

Opinion

POOLER, Circuit Judge:

Plaintiffs, former employees of World Airways, Inc., appeal from the February 8, 2016 memorandum and order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Torres, /.) dismissing their complaint seeking damages for fraud, breach of contract and violation of an employee benefit plan. Prefer v. Local 210’s Pension Tr. Fund, No. [756]*75615 Civ. 1153 (AT), 2016 WL 908303 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 8, 2016). We agree with the district court that plaintiffs’ state law claims arise under the Railway Labor Act (“RLA”), 45 U.S.C. § 151, et seq., and are thus preempted. As those claims bear a close resemblance to claims brought pursuant to the Employee Retirement Income Securities Act (“ERISA”), however, we find it appropriate to borrow and apply the three-year statute of limitations set forth in Section 1113 of ERISA rather than the six-month limitations period the district court borrowed from Section 10(b) of the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”), 29 U.S.C. § 160(b). Our holding is consistent with our precedents “re-jectfing] the argument that uniformity among borrowing limitations is needed among all labor cases” since suits against unions “encompass[ ] many varieties of actions.” Phelan v. Local 305 of United Ass’n of Journeymen, 973 F.2d 1050, 1059 (2d Cir. 1992). We therefore VACATE the district court’s dismissal of the RLA claims brought against Local 210 and REMAND for further consideration of that claim consistent with this opinion. We AFFIRM the district court’s opinion in all other respects.

BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs are former employees of World Airways, Inc. and participants in Local 210’s Pension Trust Fund (the “Fund”). The Fund provides pension benefits to participants and beneficiaries pursuant • to an employee benefit plan (the “Plan”). The Plan is a multiemployer plan within the meaning of section 3(1) of ERISA, 29 U.S.C. § 1002. Pension benefits are paid based on service credits. Service credits are generally earned based on an employee’s years of covered service, that is, service for a contributing employer while an employee is a participant in the Plan. Service credits may also be awarded based on past credited service, which is a credit for an employee’s periods of covered service with an employer that predate the employer joining the Plan. The Plan also allows for the cancellation of past service credits if (1) the participant’s employer is no longer a participating employer in the Plan and (2) cancelling the past service credits is in the interest of preserving the Fund’s actuarial soundness. The Plan grants the Fund’s trustees (the “Trustees”) “the exclusive right, power, and authority, in their sole and absolute discretion, to administer, apply[,] and interpret the Plan,” and “to decide all matters arising in connection with the operation or administration of'the Plan.” App’x at 83 § 10.1.

Until 1996, World Airways employees were represented for collective bargaining purposes by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 732. The collective bargaining agreement between the World Airways and Local 732 provided that Plaintiffs were to be enrolled in World Airway’s retirement plan (the “Target Benefit Plan”). World Airways was obligated to pay 1.8 percent of each employee’s gross annual salary into the Target Benefit Plan.

In 1996, Local 732 merged with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 210, after which Plaintiffs were represented by Local 210. In the spring of 1996, Local 210 took over negotiations with World Airways for a new collective bargaining agreement. Plaintiffs allege that, as part of those negotiations, Local 210 offered to replace the Target Benefit Plan with the Plan. Plaintiffs allege that Local 210 promised them that (1) World Airways would be required to make a monthly contribution for post-1996 service and for past service time after participants completed a five-year vesting period; and (2) Local 201 would assume all pension liability for past service credit if World Airways could not [757]*757or would not fund the Plaintiffs’ past service credits.

A June 17, 1996 letter sent from the Local 210 negotiating team to Local 210 members, including Plaintiffs, stated in relevant part:

PENSION AND PENSION VESTING GUARANTEE
[International Brotherhood of Teamsters] Demand:
The [Tjarget [B]enefit [P]lan provided by [World Airways] is woefully inadequate and must be replaced. It operates on the assumption that the money contributed by [World Airways] will earn 8% interest and it has consistently failed to do so. [World Airways] refused to take on the financial burden that would provide each of us with a decent retirement.
We are very pleased to advise that Local 210 offers retirement plans for its members where the employer does not have sufficient funds or is unwilling to commit the necessary cash to provide a viable retirement. Local 210 has designed a federally insured, 100% funded, “defined benefit plan” to which [World Airways] will provide monthly contribution with a 100% past service credit after a 5 year vesting period. This will provide an extraordinary improvement in our benefit from today’s level.
This is possible because, while [World Airways] will never contribute enough money to have purchased the benefit for us, our Union (and the members of our local who will vote to accept us into their plan) are willing to accept the liability to protect and make a long term commitment to represent us.

App’x at 109.

In a July 9, 1996 letter to all Local 210 members on reaching a new agreement, Local 210’s trustee-agent stated:

I would like to explain to you the depth of commitment this Local union has for its new members. With the approval of Secretary-Treasurer Angelo Martin, this Local created a new Pension Plan for the employees at World Airways. This plan which I negotiated into your contract, gives Pension credit to all members back to the date of hire, after vesting. In other words if you have worked for the company for ten (10) years to date, and you work another five (5) years, at retirement you will receive $600.00 per month for life.
This Pension Plan has a cost to the Union of over $700,000.00 which we are willing to pay to secure a better tomorrow for our new members.

App’x at 112.

Plaintiffs allege that, as a result of these representations, they agreed to ratify the collective bargaining agreement, switch to the Plan, and accept a lower amount of wage increases in return for payments into the Fund by World Airways. Plaintiffs, who all have five years of post-1996 work credit with World Airways, allege that each was “advised, on numerous occasions, that he or she had been given past-service credit,” and that, as a result, “each was to receive 100 percent of their service credit for the years before World began to contribute to the Plan.” App’x at 121-22.

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858 F.3d 753, 2017 WL 2431756, 2017 U.S. App. LEXIS 9989, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pruter-v-local-210s-pension-trust-fund-ca2-2017.