Rd. Sprinkler Fitters Local Union No. 669 v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd.

324 F. Supp. 3d 85
Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit·Decided August 24, 2018·No. Civil Action No. 17-1200 (TJK)·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

TIMOTHY J. KELLY, United States District Judge

Plaintiff Road Sprinkler Fitters Local Union No. 669, U.A., AFL-CIO ("Local 669") brings this action challenging an order of Defendant National Labor Relations Board (the "Board") affirming a decision to order a union decertification election. Through that election, sprinkler fitters employed by construction company AFP Specialties Inc. ("AFP") decisively voted out Local 669 as their representative for collective-bargaining *89purposes. Although federal courts generally lack subject matter jurisdiction over Board orders emanating from representation proceedings, Local 669 argues that the Court has jurisdiction under the narrow exception announced in Leedom v. Kyne , 358 U.S. 184, 79 S.Ct. 180, 3 L.Ed.2d 210 (1958). As explained below, the Court concludes that the Leedom exception does not apply. As such, the Court does not have subject matter jurisdiction over this matter and will grant the Board's Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 11). It will also deny as moot Local 669's Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 13) and Corrected Cross-Motion for Summary Judgment (ECF No. 17).

I. Background

A. Statutory Background

"The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 ('NLRA'), 29 U.S.C. §§ 151 - 169, establishes a federal regime for managing labor relations and generally authorizes the [Board] to resolve disputes between labor organizations and employers." Dist. No. 1, Pac. Coast Dist., Marine Eng'rs' Beneficial Ass'n v. Liberty Mar. Corp. , 815 F.3d 834, 839 (D.C. Cir. 2016). One of the Board's principal duties is to determine whether employees want to be represented for collective-bargaining purposes. See 29 U.S.C. § 159. A decertification election provides employees with "an opportunity to choose no longer to be represented by a union." Brooks v. NLRB , 348 U.S. 96, 100-01, 75 S.Ct. 176, 99 L.Ed. 125 (1954). Under certain circumstances, incumbent unions are protected from decertification elections for a period of time by the Board's "contract bar" rule. In this case, the question of whether the "contract bar" rule applies turns on whether the employees at issue have a relationship with Local 669 that is governed by Section 9(a) or Section 8(f) of the NLRA.

Under Section 9(a), "a union that obtains the support of 'the majority of the employees in a unit' will become the recognized representative of those employees, and the employer will be obligated to communicate and negotiate with it on the terms and conditions of employment." Colo. Fire Sprinkler, Inc. v. NLRB , 891 F.3d 1031, 1035 (D.C. Cir. 2018) (quoting 29 U.S.C. § 159(a) ). "[T]he scope of the bargaining unit is determinative of what employees the unit represents." Boise Cascade Corp. v. NLRB , 860 F.2d 471, 474 (D.C. Cir. 1988) (emphasis omitted). If a collective bargaining agreement reflects a Section 9(a) relationship between a unit of employees and a union, it triggers the three-year "contract bar." See Shepard Convention Servs., Inc. v. NLRB , 85 F.3d 671, 672 n.2 (D.C. Cir. 1996). Under the "contract bar rule," the Board "will generally refuse decertification elections, whether requested by the employer, the employees or another union," for three years from the effective date of the collective bargaining agreement, except during a brief window that opens shortly before the three years are up. NLRB v. Dominick's Finer Foods, Inc. , 28 F.3d 678, 683 (7th Cir. 1994). The "contract bar" rule "is well established in NLRB adjudications though it appears nowhere in statute and is not the result of judicial mandate." Hill v. WMATA , 309 F.Supp.2d 63, 68 (D.D.C. 2004).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Rd. Sprinkler Fitters Local Union No. 669 v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd., 324 F. Supp. 3d 85 (D.C. Cir. 2018).

324 F. Supp. 3d 85 (Rd. Sprinkler Fitters Local Union No. 669 v. Nat'l Labor Relations Bd.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related