Terminalift LLC v. International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 29

34 F. Supp. 3d 1099, 2013 WL 9430837, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 188470
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. California
DecidedSeptember 30, 2013
DocketCase No. 11-CV-1999 W(WVG)
StatusPublished

This text of 34 F. Supp. 3d 1099 (Terminalift LLC v. International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 29) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Terminalift LLC v. International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 29, 34 F. Supp. 3d 1099, 2013 WL 9430837, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 188470 (S.D. Cal. 2013).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART & DENYING IN PART DEFENDANT’S MOTION FOR PARTIAL SUMMARY JUDGMENT [DOC. 47] AND GRANTING PLAINTIFF’S MOTION TO SUBSTITUTE EXHIBIT I [DOC. 52]

THOMAS J. WHELAN, District Judge.

Pending before the' Court is Defendant International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 29’s (“Local 29”) motion for partial summary judgment. Plaintiff Ter-minalift LLC opposes, and has filed a motion to substitute Exhibit I in its opposition.

The Court decides the matters on the papers submitted and without oral argument. See Civ. L.R. 7.1(d.l). For the reasons discussed below, the Court GRANTS IN PART and DENIES IN PART Local 29’s motion [Doc. 47], and GRANTS Terminalift’s motion to substitute [Doc. 52],

I. Background

A. Relevant actors & the collective bargaining agreement.

The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (“ILWU”) is the exclusive collective bargaining representative for all longshore workers, longshore mechanics and marine clerks employed by companies belonging to the Pacific Maritime Association (“PMA”). (Sundet Dec. [Doc. 47-7], ¶ 4.) The PMA is a multi-employer collec[1102]*1102tive bargaining agent for approximately 70 stevedoring, terminal operator and steamship companies operating at approximately 30 ports in California, Oregon and Washington. (Id., ¶ 2)

The ILWU and PMA are parties to a collective bargaining agreement, known as the Pacific Coast Longshore and Clerks’ Agreement. The agreement is set forth in two documents covering the terms and conditions of employment for ILWU members employed by PMA member companies in West Coast ports. (Sundet Dec., ¶ 7.) Relevant to this case is the document covering longshore workers, the Pacific Coast Longshore Contract Document (the “Labor Contract”), effective July 1, 2008 to July 1, 2014. (Labor Contract, at A-000001.1) The Labor Contract covers, among other items, “the movement of outbound cargo only from the time it enters a dock and comes under the control of any terminal, stevedore, agent or vessel operator covered by this [Labor] Contract [] and covers movement of inbound cargo only so long as it is at a dock and under the control of any vessel operator, agent, stevedore, or terminal covered by this” agreement. (Id., ¶ 1.11.)

Defendant Local 29 (the only named defendant in this case) is a local labor union affiliated with the ILWU. (Sundet Dec., ¶ 5.) Local 29 represents longshore workers, longshore mechanics, and marine clerks employed by PMA member companies operating in the Port of San Diego (the “Port”). (Id.) SSA Marine is one of the PMA-member stevedoring companies operating at the Port.2 (Id., ¶ 3.) Local 29 and SSA Marine are covered by the Labor Contract.

Plaintiff Terminalift is a non-union cargo handling equipment company operating out of the Port, and other California locations. (Schmitz Dep., 16:4 — 10.3) It owns specialized material-handling equipment to offload fragile and vibration sensitive heavy cargo for foreign and domestic businesses, such as 70-foot windmill blades.

B. Local 29 and SSA Marine’s labor dispute.

For years before and through April 2011, Local 29 complained that SSA Marine was violating the Labor Contract by failing to assign to longshore workers the work of unlashing windmill components under SSA Marine’s control. (Dietenhofer Dep., 17:9-16, 63:3-54; Sawyer Dep., 41:11-44:5, 92:1-93:2, 93:19-94:205; Mag-lio Dec., Ex. 29 [Doc. 47-6]; Pl.’s Resp. Sep. State. [51-1], No. 36.) Although long-shore workers performed this work at other West Coast ports (Sundet Dec., ¶ 18), SSA Marine’s position was that the agreement did not cover unlashing windmill components at the Port of San Diego.6 [1103]*1103(Dietenhofer Dep., 17:2-6, 63:3-14; Sawyer Dep., 93:15-18.) SSA Marine was able to avoid arbitration with Local 29 over the dispute for years by asserting that section 1.27 of the Labor Contract allowed SSA Marine to assign the work to non-union operators, such as Terminalift. {Dieten-hofer Dep., 63:5-8.)

C. The April 2011 labor protest.

On April 12, 2011, Local 29’s President Raymond Leyba, and Vice President and Business Agent Steven Pitre observed Terminalift performing vessel loading work at the Tenth Avenue Marine Terminal (“TAMT”) in the Port. (Leyba Dep., 152:14 — 154:157; PI. ’s Resp. Sep. State., No. 8.) The work was being performed for SAIC onboard the vessel, the Ocean Pioneer. Leyba believed that Terminalift was using SSA Marine’s equipment, and thus SSA Marine was again violating the Labor Contract by not assigning work to long-shore workers that was under SSA Marine’s jurisdiction or control. {Id., 153:12— 13,182:9-25.)

At approximately 8:00 a.m., Pitre approached the gangway of the Ocean Pioneer and demanded to speak with an SAIC representative. {Deleeuw Dep., 64:18 — 21.8) David Deleeuw, SAIC’s Senior Project Manager in charge of the operation, responded. {Id., 65:3-8.) When Deleeuw met Pitre on the dock, Pitre told him to “get in his truck, that [SAIC was] going to hire” the union. {Id., 65:7-14, 66:6-17, 67:4.) Pitre did not threaten Deleeuw, who nevertheless was “a little” concerned for his safety. {Id., 66:21-67:4, 74:17-19, 170:2-16.) The two then drove to SSA Marine’s offices at the TAMT.

While at SSA Marine’s offices, Pitre demanded that SSA Marine take over Termi-nalift’s work. SSA Marine’s Ipgistics coordinator, Frances Sawyer, told Pitre that he should take Deleeuw back to the ship and that they should talk “about this privately.” {Deleeuw Dep., 72:5-7.) Sawyer also told Pitre that the union should “not force these guys to do something that they don’t have to do.” {Id., 72:12-15; Sawyer Dep., 55:13-19.) After the two “went back and forth a couple of times,” Pitre drove De-leeuw back to the Ocean Pioneer. {Id., 72:17-18.)

Meanwhile, Local 29 President Leyba decided to call on longshore workers to stage a labor rally. (Leyba Dep., 157:15-17.) Initially, the protest involved approximately 10-15 longshore workers. {De-leeuw Dep., 77:10.) By about 10:00 a.m., there were approximately 30 people involved in the protest {Id., 79:21-80:3, 82:7-9; Forsythe Dep., 18:17-19, 20:16-189), and by lunchtime there were between 70 and 150 longshore workers contained in a roped-off area approximately 125 feet from the gangway of the Ocean Pioneer. {Cum[1104]*1104mings Dep., 60:19-61:10, 97:16-24, 98:19-2110; Deleeuw Dep., 87:14-88:1; McKeller Dep., 49:23-26, 76:23-2511; Maglio Dec., Ex. 14.[Doc. 47-4] at TL000650.) The picketers yelled and held signs saying “get off our dock,” “an injury to one is an injury to all,” “ILWU Jurisdiction,” and “ILWU Work.” (Pi’s Exhibits, Ex. C [Doc. 51-3] at 7:13-14; Deleeuw Dep., 88:10-20.) None of the picketers attempted to cross the rope. {Cummings Dep., 61:25-62:1.)

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Bluebook (online)
34 F. Supp. 3d 1099, 2013 WL 9430837, 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 188470, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/terminalift-llc-v-international-longshore-warehouse-union-local-29-casd-2013.