Republic Aviation Corp. v. Republic Lodge No. 1987

10 Misc. 2d 783, 169 N.Y.S.2d 651, 41 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2298, 1957 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1877
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 31, 1957
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 10 Misc. 2d 783 (Republic Aviation Corp. v. Republic Lodge No. 1987) 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
Republic Aviation Corp. v. Republic Lodge No. 1987, 10 Misc. 2d 783, 169 N.Y.S.2d 651, 41 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2298, 1957 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1877 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1957).

Opinion

Nicholas M. Pette, J.

Plaintiff, hereinafter referred to as “ Republic ” is a manufacturer of military aircraft and guided missiles, employing approximately 17,000 persons throughout its plants on Long Island, and approximately 9,500 of said employees are members of the defendant lodge, hereinafter referred to as the ‘ ‘ Union ’ ’. Republic and the Union are parties to a collective bargaining agreement dated February 19, 1955, which by its terms permitted reopening for the consideration of some of its terms. That agreement was reopened in December, 1955 for the purpose of considering changes in wages and other matters and, when agreement could not be reached, a strike ensued at the Republic plants which continued from February 19,1956 until June 9,1956, a period of 16 weeks.

This is an action by plaintiff for a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from engaging in acts of reprisal or in any disciplinary action, in violation of an employer-union agreement which was part of the agreement settling the strike, against Union members (hereinafter referred to as nonstrikers) who crossed the Union’s picket lines and returned to work during the strike. More particularly, plaintiff seeks to restrain defendants from serving said nonstrikers with notices of charges unbecoming a Union member for crossing the Union’s picket lines during the strike, and from conducting Union trials on such charges. In effect, Republic seeks specific performance of a “ no-reprisal ’ ’ agreement.

The gravamen of plaintiff’s complaint is that the defendants, by serving many nonstrikers, and expressing their intention to serve all the nonstrikers, some 2,838 individuals, with notices of said charges and notices to appear for trial thereon [786]*786before the Union, violated said ' ‘ no-reprisal ’ ’ agreement, and that said breach resulted in the creation, continuation and aggravation of discord, friction and tension between the strikers and nonstrikers; impaired the morale of all such employees, prevented them from working in a harmonious, cooperative and productive manner, and will disrupt the existing relationship between plaintiff, the Union and all of plaintiff’s employees; that such discord, friction, tension and impairment of morale have adversely affected, obstructed and hindered plaintiff’s manufacture and production of aircraft and disrupted the performance of the plaintiff’s contracts, and have injured and impaired the value of its good will and caused great and irreparable damage to plaintiff, which it is impossible to estimate or determine; that the damage and injury complained of are continuing and defendants are doing and are about to commit other acts in furtherance of the breach of the “ no-reprisal ” agreement; that unless defendants are restrained by order of this court from committing the acts complained of and from interfering with plaintiff’s business, their acts will cause irreparable loss, injury and damage to plaintiff, which will be impossible of ascertainment and for which there is no adequate remedy at law; that greater injury will be inflicted upon the plaintiff by the denial of the injunction than will be inflicted upon the defendants by the granting thereof; that plaintiff has duly complied with all the obligations imposed by law and has made every reasonable effort, both orally and in writing, to settle by negotiation with representatives of the Union the dispute between the parties which has arisen by virtue of the breach of the ‘ ‘ no-reprisal ’ ’ agreement.

Defendants, by their answer, in substance, admit the execution of the collective bargaining agreement dated February 19, 1955, the reopening thereof, and after unsuccessful negotiations to reach an agreement, a strike ensued lasting from February 19, 1956, until June 9, 1956, during which large numbers of Union members crossed the Union’s picket lines and worked for Republic. Defendants further admit that on June 7, 1956, plaintiff and the Union executed a strike settling agreement, which is part of the Exhibit A annexed to and made a part of the complaint, and also admit that the no-reprisal ” letter agreement dated June 7, 1956 is part of said Exhibit A; they admit charges were filed on or about August 22, 1956 against a number of nonstrikers for crossing its picket lines during the strike, and that Justin Ostrow, the Union president, processed said charges and that notices of trial thereon were sent to said nonstrikers, and that the Union intends to process [787]*787and bring to trial other nonstrikers who had crossed the picket lines during the strike at Republic.

Defendants, however, deny said “no-reprisal” letter agreement is binding upon the Union, and deny that it is part of the strike settlement agreement; they also deny that filing said charges and serving notices thereof and of trial thereon, violate said “ no-reprisal ” agreement; they also deny that said alleged breach has caused or will cause irreparable damage to plaintiff, and deny the other material allegations of the complaint.

Republic and the Union in conjunction with the strike settlement agreement, inter alia, provided in said “no-reprisal” agreement, as follows:

‘ ‘ This is to confirm our understanding with respect to the following in conjunction with the strike settlement agreement. The effectiveness of this understanding is contingent on the ratification of the strike settlement agreement as provided for in that agreement.
‘ ‘ 1. The Company and the Union, its officers, agents, and members, agree not to engage in any acts of reprisal or any disciplinary action against any employee for any acts or conduct engaged in during the strike. In the event any employee has been or may hereafter be convicted in any criminal case arising out of activity in connection with the strike, it shall not be ground for disciplinary action ’ ’.

The defendants have also interposed eight separate and distinct defenses to the complaint, which in substance are: (1) plaintiff has not exhausted the remedies provided in the agreement dated February 19, 1955; (2) it has failed to invoke arbitration proceedings provided by said agreement; (3) this action involves á labor dispute and plaintiff has not complied with section 876-a of the Civil Practice Act; (4) plaintiff by this suit seeks to interfere in the Union’s internal affairs, is not acting in good faith but for ulterior motives and does not come into equity with clean hands; (5) that this action is an unfair labor practice as defined by subdivision (a) of section 8 of the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947 (U. S. Code, tit. 29, § 158, subd. [a]) and this court lacks jurisdiction of the subject matter; (6) plaintiff is not the real party in interest under section 210 of the Civil Practice Act; (7) plaintiff has failed to comply with section 13 of the General Associations Law in that there is no allegation .that the filing of charges by individual Union members or the processing by defendant’s president or trial committee of said charges for trial, were approved or ratified by the membership of the Union; and (8) that the venue of the action is improper.

[788]*788At the close of plaintiff’s case, defendants were permitted to reserve their motion, and allowed to call their sole witness out of turn, an expert who testified as to his opinion, the impact, the serving of notices of charges and trial upon the nonstrikers had upon the employees; how it affected their morale, harmony, cooperation in their work, and production.

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10 Misc. 2d 783, 169 N.Y.S.2d 651, 41 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2298, 1957 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1877, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/republic-aviation-corp-v-republic-lodge-no-1987-nysupct-1957.