Royal Industrial Union v. Royal McBee Corp.

217 F. Supp. 277, 53 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2169, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7147
CourtDistrict Court, D. Connecticut
DecidedMay 8, 1963
DocketNo. 9703
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 217 F. Supp. 277 (Royal Industrial Union v. Royal McBee Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Connecticut primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Royal Industrial Union v. Royal McBee Corp., 217 F. Supp. 277, 53 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2169, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7147 (D. Conn. 1963).

Opinion

CLARIE, District Judge.

This is a plaintiff’s motion for an order to modify and correct an arbitration award pursuant to the United States Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C.A. §§ 1-14. The plaintiff alleged that jurisdiction of the matter was obtained under 9 U.S. [278]*278C.A. § 11, which allegation was denied in the defendant’s answer.

The pleadings incorporated a copy of the collective bargaining contract between the plaintiff union and the defendant employer. The defendant’s admission of paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 of the complaint established agreement of the parties on all issues, except the question of the Court’s jurisdiction and the validity of the form of the alleged award. No affidavits were filed by either party and no evidence was offered, except a copy of the arbitrator’s award and opinion, identified as defendant’s Exhibit

The labor contract incorporated in the pleadings indicates that the moving petitioner is the Hartford Local Union #937 of the United Automobile, Aircraft and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, UAW-AFL-CIO, and the defendant employer a New York State corporation doing business in Connecticut and manufacturing and distributing on a nationwide basis, the Royal typewriter. The business obviously involves an industry engaged in interstate commerce of which fact this Court will take judicial notice.

The United States Arbitration Act is not a statute which confers jurisdiction itself. It does provide an additional procedure and remedy available in the federal courts, where jurisdiction already exists. Mengel Co. v. Nashville Paper Products & Specialty Workers Union, 221 F.2d 644 (6 Cir. 1955).

“A party aggrieved by the alleged failure, neglect, or refusal of another to .arbitrate under a written agreement for arbitration may petition any court of the United States which, save for such agreement would have jurisdiction under the judicial code at law, in equity, or in admiralty of the subject matter of a suit arising out of the controversy between the parties * * * ”. 9 U.S.C.A. § 4.

“The text "is entirely clear that the court must be one, ‘which, save for such agreement, would have jurisdiction- * * * of the subject matter.’ ” Krauss Bros. Lumber Co. v. Louis Bossert & Sons, 62 F.2d 1004, 1006.

Thus, prior to the adoption of § 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, 61 Stat. 156, 29 U.S.C.A. § 185, it was necessary for a petitioner under the Arbitration Act, to establish three essential elements in order to qualify for jurisdiction in the federal court; namely, diversity of citizenship, proper minimum amount in controversy, and the matter must relate to maritime transactions or interstate commerce. San Carlo Opera v. Conley, 72 F.Supp. 825 (D.C.S.D.N.Y.1946).

While paragraph 1 of the plaintiff’s motion bases the Court’s jurisdiction on 9 U.S.C.A. § 11,1 an untenable ground,, the Court having sufficient facts before it, will determine on its own initiative whether or not jurisdiction does exist, in this Court on any grounds. In other words, except for the arbitration provision in the collective bargaining agreement, would this Court have jurisdiction of the subject matter in controversy under Title 28 or any other provision of the judicial code?

The admitted facts in the pleadings-do not establish the usual federal jurisdictional essentials of amount in controversy, 28 U.S.C.A. § 1331(a) and diversity of citizenship, § 1332(c). The Court must therefore look elsewhere in the federal judicial code of law to determine-the question.

[279]*279Section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, 61 Stat. 156, 29 U.S.C.A. § 185, provides in part:

“(a) Suits for violation of contracts between an employer and a labor organization representing employees in an industry affecting commerce as defined in this chapter, or between any such labor organizations, may be brought in any district court of the United States having jurisdiction of the parties, without respect to the amount in controversy or without regard to the citizenship of the parties. * * *
■“(c) For the purposes of actions and proceedings by or against labor organizations in the district courts of the United States, district courts shall be deemed to have jurisdiction of a labor organization (1) * * * or (2) in any district in which its duly authorized officers or agents are engaged in representing or acting for employee members.”

This dispute stems from an ■award 2 made by an arbitrator pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement ■existent between the parties. The primary question for purposes of jurisdiction is, whether or not the alleged improper discharge and/or lay-off of a ■member of the plaintiff union constituted such a violation of contract between the parties, that except for the .arbitration provision of the contract, it ■could have been the subject matter of a suit within the purview of § 301 supra. If such is the case, then jurisdiction is established without respect to the .■amount in controversy and without regard to the citizenship of the parties, as the statute so explicitly provides.

“Section 301 has been applied to suits to compel arbitration of such individual grievances as rates of pay, hours of work and wrongful discharge, Textile Workers v. Lincoln Mills, supra [353 U.S. 448, 77 S.Ct. 912, 1 L.Ed.2d 972]; General Electric Co. v. Local 205, UEW, 353 U.S. 547 [77 S.Ct. 921, 1 L.Ed. 2d 1028]; to obtain specific enforcement of an arbitrator’s award ordering reinstatement and back pay to individual employees, United Steelworkers v. Enterprise Wheel & Car Corp., 363 U.S. 593 [80 S.Ct. 1358, 4 L.Ed.2d 1424] ; * * *
“The concept that all suits to vindicate individual employee rights arising from a collective bargaining contract should be excluded from the coverage of § 301 has thus not survived. The rights of individual employees concerning rates of pay and conditions of employment are a major focus of the negotiation and administration of collective bargaining contracts. * * * To exclude these claims from the ambit of § 301 would stultify the congressional policy of having the administration of collective bargaining contracts accomplished under a uniform body of federal substantive law. This we are unwilling to do.” Smith v. Evening News Ass’n, 371 U.S. 195, 199, 83 S.Ct. 267, 270, 9 L.Ed.2d 246 (October 1962).

The Court finds that § 301 supra (29 U.S.C.A. § 185) establishes this Court’s jurisdiction of the parties and the subject'matter of the controversy; and the United States Arbitration Act, 9 U.S. C.A. §§ 1-14, thus becomes an available remedy.

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217 F. Supp. 277, 53 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2169, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7147, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/royal-industrial-union-v-royal-mcbee-corp-ctd-1963.