Rio Hondo Harvesting Association v. Charles E. Johnson, Tracy C. Murrell and Humberto Martinez

290 F.2d 471
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedAugust 3, 1961
Docket18586
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 290 F.2d 471 (Rio Hondo Harvesting Association v. Charles E. Johnson, Tracy C. Murrell and Humberto Martinez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rio Hondo Harvesting Association v. Charles E. Johnson, Tracy C. Murrell and Humberto Martinez, 290 F.2d 471 (5th Cir. 1961).

Opinions

TUTTLE, Chief Judge.

This is an appeal from an order of the District Court dismissing a suit brought by the appellant seeking to enjoin the defendants as local representatives of the Secretary of Labor from carrying out an order of the Director of the Bureau of Employment Security of the Department that in effect disqualifies the appellant from continuing to employ Mexican nationals. The principle point sought to be raised by the appellant is the same as that urged before this court in Johnson, appellant, v. Kirkland et al., 5 Cir., 290 F.2d 440. The question is whether the Secretary of Labor has the power under the Migratory Labor Act, 7 U.S.C.A. §§ 1461-1468 to impose a minimum wage scale or a minimum wage fixing schedule for Mexican workers which is determined by schedules other than the current prevailing domestic wage rate for like agricultural work. As we did in that case, we now also in this one, conclude that this point is not reached because we conclude that the District Court correctly dismissed the suit for the nonjoinder of the Director of Bureau of Employment Security, an indispensable party to the litigation. Reference is made to the Johnson and-Scannell opinion for a fuller description of the purpose and effect of these provisions of the Migratory Labor Act.

We have a different problem from that presented in the earlier case, because here Mexican laborers were already at work under existing contracts when, pursuant to administrative proceedings, approved by the director, notice was sent to the Texas Employment Commission that appellant’s authorizations to contract for Mexican nationals were revoked and the appellant was instructed to return all Mexican nationals then under contract to the reception center. Appellant seeks to attack this action by enjoining the local officials from carrying it out.

[472]*472The basis on which appellant places its plea is threefold. It argues that the procedures for the conducting of administrative hearings prescribed by the Migrant Labor Agreement were violated and that the findings were thus nullified; it also argues that the prescribed procedures themselves failed to provide a full hearing, and thus denied appellant procedural due process; and finally it urges that the asserted failure of the appellant to keep records as prescribed by appropriate regulations related to an effort by the Department of Labor to maintain a void policy — that is, to establish a minimum wage for migrant workers, which it says is not authorized by the statute.

Of course, if indispensable parties have not been joined in the .suit the trial court could not proceed to a consideration of any of these points. We therefore come to a determination of the correctness of the holding by the trial court that the director of the Bureau of Employment Security, a resident of the District of Columbia, was an indispensable party.

From the findings of fact of the trial court, the following appears: On or about July 1, 1959, the beginning of the 1959 harvest season, plaintiff, pursuant to statutory authority and the Standard Work Contract entered into work contracts with Mexican nationals, whereby both sides agreed to be bound by the joint determinations of the representatives of the Governments of the United States and the Republic of Mexico pursuant to Article 30 of the Migrant Labor Agreement of 1951, as amended.

On or about August 1, 1959, an investigation of plaintiff’s pay practices was conducted by representatives of the Department of Labor to determine whether the piece-rate paid by plaintiff to the Mexican nationals adversely affected the wages of domestic agricultural workers similarly employed and whether the wages paid such Mexican nationals were in accordance with the prevailing rate as required by Article 15 of the Migrant Labor Agreement and Article 4 of the Standard Work Contract.

An examination of plaintiff’s payroll records revealed that, during the payroll periods ending July 16, July 23 and July 30, 1959, plaintiff failed to maintain an accurate record of the hours worked by the Mexican nationals involved, who were engaged in the performance of piece-rate activities for these employment periods. Defendants claim that the deficient records precluded the Department of Labor from determining the wages earned and hours worked by the Mexican nationals and the effect of such earnings on the wages of domestic workers as required by law.

On November 13, 1959, Johnson as representative of the Department of Labor and the Mexican Consul at McAllen, Texas, pursuant to Article 30 of the Migrant Labor Agreement and based upon the investigation, made a joint finding of fact and joint determination that plaintiff had violated Article 19 of the Standard Work Contract by its failure to comply with the record keeping provisions of that article. Plaintiff was advised of this action and of its right to appeal therefrom provided in Article 30.

Upon appeal from the joint finding of fact and joint determination the representatives of both governments at Washington, D. C., namely the Designee of the Secretary of Labor and the Minister Counselor of the Mexican Embassy, executed a final joint determination pursuant to Article 30, dated December 30, 1959, affirming the initial joint determination in all respects. Plaintiff was advised of this final joint determination by registered letter dated January 5, 1960.

On or about January 11, 1960, the Regional Director of the Department of Labor, presently Murrell, initiated proceedings to consider whether plaintiff’s existing authorizations to contract for Mexican nationals should be revoked and further ones denied based upon the joint determination of violation of the Standard Work contract and pursuant to Article 7, the Second Part, Section A, of the Migrant Labor Agreement and 20 Code of the Federal Regulations 612, Subpart D.

[473]*473Upon consideration of the serious nature of the violations found in the joint determination the Regional Director declared in a decision dated February 12, 1960, that plaintiff’s existing authorizations to contract for Mexican nationals should be revoked and further ones refused. After being advised of the Regional Director’s decision and of its right to appeal therefrom, plaintiff appealed to the Director of the Bureau of Employment Security at Washington, D. C.

Having final authority concerning revocation of authorizations and refusal of further ones under 20 Code of Federal Regulations 612, Subpart D, Sections 612.56, 612.57, and 612.58, the Director affirmed the Regional Director’s prior decision in all respects on March 27, 1960. In accordance with the Director’s decision and the instructions contained therein, the Regional Director notified plaintiff and the Texas Employment Commission that plaintiff’s existing authorizations were revoked and that no authorizations to contract for Mexican nationals should be issued to plaintiff until further notice. Plaintiff was instructed to return all of the workers presently employed to the reception center at Hidalgo, Texas, though this action has been delayed pending a hearing upon the temporary injunction in this case.

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

Related

United Publishing & Printing Corp. v. Horan
268 F. Supp. 948 (D. Connecticut, 1967)
Limoneira Co. v. Wirtz
225 F. Supp. 961 (S.D. California, 1963)
Estrada v. Ahrens
296 F.2d 690 (Fifth Circuit, 1961)
Johnson v. Kirkland
290 F.2d 440 (Fifth Circuit, 1961)
Mcbribe Farms Marketing Ass'n v. Johnson
290 F.2d 474 (Fifth Circuit, 1961)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
290 F.2d 471, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rio-hondo-harvesting-association-v-charles-e-johnson-tracy-c-murrell-ca5-1961.