Smith v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

144 F. Supp. 869, 38 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2729, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2869
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedOctober 3, 1956
DocketCiv. A No. 3804
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 144 F. Supp. 869 (Smith v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smith v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, 144 F. Supp. 869, 38 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2729, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2869 (S.D. Ohio 1956).

Opinion

DRUFFEL, District Judge.

1. The plaintiff, Charles V. Smith, is a resident of Hamilton County, Ohio, and is a citizen of the State of Ohio.

2. The plaintiff, Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen General Committee of Adjustment for The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (hereinafter called “the Conductors”), is a voluntary, unincorporated association with its principal place of business located in Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Ohio.

3. The defendant, The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company (hereinafter called “the B. & 0.”), is a Maryland cor- I poration authorized to do business in [871]*871Ohio, and is a common carrier within the provisions of the Railway Labor Act, as amended, 45 U.S.C.A. § 151 et seq.

4. The intervenor-defendant, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (hereinafter called “the Trainmen”), is a voluntary, unincorporated association with its principal place of business located at Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

5. This is an action for injunction brought by the Conductors and by Charles V. Smith for himself and others similarly situated against the B. & O. The Trainmen intervened as a party defendant. The amount in controversy with respect to the plaintiff Smith and with respect to each of the parties he purports to represent exceeds, exclusive of interest and costs, the sum of $3,000. The action involves and requires a determination of the validity of a union shop agreement negotiated under the provisions of the Railway Labor Act between the B. & O. and the Trainmen interpreted and applied by the parties thereto. This court has jurisdiction of the parties to this cause and the subject matter thereof because this is a suit arising under a law of the United States regulating* commerce, the Railway Labor Act, Title 45 U.S.C.A. § 151 et seq. and under Section 2201 of the Judicial Code, 28 U.S.C.A. §§ 1337, 2201.

6. The plaintiff Smith is and has been since 1929 an employee of the B. & O. He was promoted to a conductor on August 6, 1944, and holds seniority as a conductor from and after such date. Since June 1, 1956, he has been employed by the B. & O. as a regularly assigned conductor, and since that date his assignments have all been those of a regularly assigned conductor.

7. The Conductors is a labor organization, national in scope, organized in accordance with the provisions of the Railway Labor Act. It has been the exclusive bargaining representative of the class and craft of conductors on the defendant’s railroad for many years and is presently certified under date of January 13, 1945, as the bargaining repre-. sentative of the class and craft of conductors on said railroad, pursuant to Section 2 of the Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C.A. § 152, and is acting as representative of said class and craft of conductors on the-properties of the B. & O. pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement effective September 1, 1927, as amended, providing rates of pay, rules and working conditions for the said class and craft of conductors.

8. The Trainmen is a labor organization, national in scope, organized in accordance with the Railway Labor Act. It has been the exclusive bargaining representative of the class and craft of yard helpers, yard foremen, passenger and freight brakemen and flagmen, and switchtenders (hereinafter collectively called “trainmen”), for many years. Many of the employees heretofore represented by the Trainmen have been promoted to, have worked as and hold seniority as conductors.

9. Acting under the provisions of Section 2, Eleventh, of the Railway Labor Act, as amended, 45 U.S.C.A. § 152, Eleventh, the B. & O. and the Trainmen entered into a Union Shop Agreement dated September 20,1951, which has been effective since October 1, 1951. A- copy of such agreement (hereinafter called “the Trainmen’s Union Shop Agree-ment”), is attached to the Complaint as-Exhibit “A”.

10. On July 1, 1952, the plaintiff Smith, who had theretofore been a member of the Trainmen, ceased to be a member of that organization on account of failure to pay dues and was not at' that time a member of any railroad la-bor organization “national in scope’-’. He did not become a member of any rail-' road labor organization “national in scope” until after he was cited on July 28, 1952, for violation of the Trainmen’s Union Shop Agreement. He became a member of the Conductors on April 1, 1956, and has remained a member of the Conductors since that date.

11. On July 28, 1952, the Trainmen notified the B. & O. that the plaintiff. Smith was in violation of the Trainmen's Union Shop Agreement; plaintiff [872]*872Smith was cited for this violation by the B. & O. on July 31, 1952; plaintiff Smith requested a hearing of the union shop charge on August 12, 1952; such a hearing was held on September 9, 1952; the decision in the case of plaintiff Smith was rendered on January 6, 1955, when the B. & O. notified him that his employment relationship would be terminated effective January 17, 1955; that on January 12, 1955, plaintiff Smith requested an appeal hearing, which, pursuant to notice of February 17, 1955, was duly held on February 28, 1955, and, on June 4, 1956, it was determined by the B. & O. that plaintiff Smith was in violation of the Trainmen’s Union Shop Agreement between the B. & O. and the Trainmen; and, accordingly, he was notified on that date that his employment 1'elationship with the B. & O. would be terminated June 14, 1956, on account of failure to comply with the terms of the Trainmen’s Union Shop Agreement.

12. The 20 other conductors named on the list attached to the Stipulation filed herein are similarly situated to the plaintiff Smith. Each of them was promoted to a conductor with the B. & O. on the date opposite his name under the heading “Seniority Date as Conductor” and holds seniority as a conductor from and after said date. The Trainmen notified the B. & O. that each of said 20 conductors was in violation of the Trainmen’s Union Shop Agreement on the date set forth opposite his name under the heading “Date Cited”. The B. & O. has notified each of the first 9 conductors on the list that because of his failure to comply with the Trainmen’s Union Shop Agreement his employment relationship with the B. & O. would cease on the date set forth opposite his name under the heading “Date Dropped”. The B. & O. has not as yet terminated the employment relationship of the last 11 conductors on the list but will do so unless restrained by this Court.

13. The Trainmen’s Union Shop Agreement has been construed and acted upon by the parties thereto, being the defendants herein, to require that an employee in violation thereof shall be discharged as an employee and thereby deprived of his status and seniority not only as a trainman but also as a conductor, and the Trainmen have demanded that the B. & 0., in accordance with the construction of the parties thereto', not only terminate the employment and seniority as trainmen of plaintiff Smith and others similarly situated because of their noneompliance with the said Trainmen’s Union Shop Agreement, but that the B. & O. also terminate their employment and seniority as conductors because of such noneompliance; and unless restrained by this court the B. & O. will acquiesce in said demand of the Trainmen and will, because of such noncompliance with the Trainmen’s Union Shop Agreement, deprive and continue to deprive the plaintiff Smith and other conductors similarly situated of their employment and seniority as conductors.

14.

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144 F. Supp. 869, 38 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2729, 1956 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2869, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-baltimore-ohio-railroad-ohsd-1956.