Sully Equipment Rentals, Inc. v. Does 1 Through 100 As Trustees of the Operating Engineers Health & Welfare Fund

554 F. Supp. 141, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17269
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedDecember 21, 1982
DocketNo. CV 82-3315-RJK (Px)
StatusPublished

This text of 554 F. Supp. 141 (Sully Equipment Rentals, Inc. v. Does 1 Through 100 As Trustees of the Operating Engineers Health & Welfare Fund) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sully Equipment Rentals, Inc. v. Does 1 Through 100 As Trustees of the Operating Engineers Health & Welfare Fund, 554 F. Supp. 141, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17269 (C.D. Cal. 1982).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION

KELLEHER, District Judge.

The above entitled cause came on regularly for hearing on defendants’ and counterclaimants’ Operating Engineers Pension Trust, et al., motion for summary judgment. The Court having considered the arguments, both written and oral, submitted by the parties now finds the following facts are not in dispute:

Plaintiff Sully Equipment Rentals initiated this action in California Superior Court on May 3,1982. The action was removed to federal court on July 6, 1982. Jurisdiction is founded upon Section 301(a) of the Labor Management Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 185(a), and Section 502(a)(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 1132(a)(3). Plaintiff’s complaint alleges breach of a collective bargaining agreement, interference with prospective economic advantage and disparagement. Plaintiff seeks injunctive relief as well as general and punitive damages. Defendants counterclaimed for unpaid contributions to the Trust funds.

Defendants and counterclaimants are the Operating Engineers Pension Trust, Operating Engineers Health and Welfare Fund, Operating Engineers Vacation-Holiday Savings Trust and Operating Engineers Training Trust (hereinafter “Trusts”). The Trusts are express trusts established pursuant to written collective bargaining agreements between the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local Union No. 12 and various employer associations in the construction industry in Southern California. The Trusts were created and now exist pursuant to Section 302(c) of the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, as amended, 29 U.S.C. § 186.

Plaintiff and counterdefendant Sully Equipment Rentals, Inc. (hereinafter “Sully”) is a corporation organized and existing by virtue of the laws of the State of California, and an employer engaged in interstate commerce within the meaning of Section 301(a) of the Labor Management Relations Act, 29 U.S.C. § 185(a).1

On February 1, 1980 Sully entered into a written collective bargaining agreement (hereinafter “Agreement”) with Local Union No. 12. On February 1, 1980 Sully executed written acknowledgments and acceptances of the agreements and declarations of trust establishing the four defendant Trusts (hereinafter “trust agreements”). By the terms of the Agreement, Sully became bound to the terms and conditions of the written Master Labor Agreement (hereinafter “Master Agreement”) between Local Union No. 12 and the Southern California General Contractors Associations. [143]*143At all material times herein Sully has been bound to the Agreement, the Master Agreement and the trust agreements. Declaration of Leo A. Majich, Administrator of the Southern California Operating Engineers Benefit Administration.

The Agreement, Master Agreement, and trust agreements require employers such as Sully to pay to the Trusts fringe benefit contributions at rates fixed by the Master Agreement for all hours worked by or paid to each employee who performs work covered by the Master Agreement.

On July 26, 1972 the Labor Management Adjustment Board, established under Article V of the Master Agreement, interpreted the Master Agreement to provide as follows:

“Resolved, when an employee has been dispatched by the Union to a contractor and the employee performs any work whatsoever covered by the Agreement, the Contractor shall be obligated to pay fringe benefit contributions to the Trusts at the required rate for cash and every hour worked by the employee or paid for by the Contractor. Further, that in the event the payroll records of the Contractor show that such an employee is paid by salary or any method other than hourly wages, then the employee shall be presumed to have worked for a minimum of forty (40) hours during each week of such employment and payment, and fringe benefit contributions shall be paid for all such hours.”

Declaration of Leo A. Majich.

From February 1, 1980 through at least October 31, 1982 George Sullivan was employed by Sully Equipment Rentals, Inc. Sullivan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sully. Declaration of Edward L. Laird, II. During the period in question Sullivan performed executive functions which are not covered by the Master Agreement. In addition, Sullivan spent at least a portion of his time during the relevant period performing work which is covered by the Master Agreement. Declaration of Leo A. Majich, Exhibit C. Sullivan was paid for his services in a method other than an hourly wage. Plaintiff’s Answers to Defendants’ Requests for Admission, Number 1.

Sully Equipment Rentals paid contributions to the Trusts for those hours during which Sullivan was engaged in “covered” employment; for those hours when Sullivan was engaged in “noncovered” employment (i.e., those hours when Sullivan was performing executive services) no contributions were made. Majich Declaration, Exhibit C.

Upon the foregoing undisputed facts and as a matter of law, the Court concludes as follows:

The Counterclaim: Counterclaimants are Entitled to Summary Judgment as Against Coun terdefendan ts

Under the terms of the subject trust agreement, employees are defined as “any employee of an individual employer who performs one or more hours of work covered by any of the Collective Bargaining Agreements.” Pension Trust, Art. I, Section 3; Journeyman and Apprentice Training Trust, Art. I, Section 6; Health and Welfare Trust, Art. Ill, Section 4; Vacation-Holiday Savings Trust, Art. I, Section 12. (emphasis added). Because it is undisputed that during the relevant time period George Sullivan performed one or more hours of work covered by the Agreement, George Sullivan is an “employee” within the meaning of the trust agreements. Plaintiff’s argument that because Sullivan and his wife are the majority shareholders of Sully, and because Sullivan is an executive of the corporation, Sully is not obligated to make fringe benefit contributions to the trust funds based on Sullivan’s employment is without merit. Plaintiff cites to no provision in the Master Agreement or trust agreements which suggests that for purposes of fringe benefit contributions shareholder employees are to be treated differently than non-shareholder employees. Furthermore, it is well settled in this Circuit that employers subject to the Master Agreement at issue herein are obligated to pay contributions to the Trusts on the basis of a presumed forty hour work week of executives who spend a portion of their [144]*144time performing work covered by the Agreement. Waggoner v. C & D Pipeline Co., 601 F.2d 456 (9th Cir.1979); Waggoner v. Wm. Tadkovich Co., 620 F.2d 206 (9th Cir.1980); Waggoner v. Dallaire, 649 F.2d 1362 (9th Cir.1981). Sullivan is a salaried employee for whom contributions are owing for the relevant period on the basis of a presumed forty hour work week.

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554 F. Supp. 141, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sully-equipment-rentals-inc-v-does-1-through-100-as-trustees-of-the-cacd-1982.