Terrell v. Dura Mechanical Components, Inc.

934 F. Supp. 874, 20 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 1621, 152 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2661, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9379, 1996 WL 421897
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Ohio
DecidedJune 11, 1996
DocketNo. 3:93 CV 7584
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 934 F. Supp. 874 (Terrell v. Dura Mechanical Components, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Terrell v. Dura Mechanical Components, Inc., 934 F. Supp. 874, 20 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 1621, 152 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2661, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9379, 1996 WL 421897 (N.D. Ohio 1996).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

KATZ, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court on cross motions for summary judgment. For the following reasons, Plaintiffs’ and Third-Party Defendants’ motion for summary judgment will be denied. Defendant’s motion for summary judgment will be granted.

This is an action for retiree health insurance benefits brought by twenty-six former employees of Defendant Dura Mechanical Components, Inc. (“Dura”). Plaintiffs contend that Defendant’s termination of the benefits violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement between Defendant and the union to which Plaintiffs belonged, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (“ERISA”), 29 U.S.C. §§ 1001 et seq. Defendant contends that none of the Plaintiffs qualify for the benefits at issue.

Dura has filed a third-party complaint against the International Union of United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (“UAW” or “the Union”), which complaint is based on the UAWs financial sponsorship of the instant litigation. Dura contends that the Union’s sponsorship of this case is a violation of the Plant Closing Agreement between Dura and UAW. UAW contends that the claims brought in this lawsuit are outside the scope of the Plant Closing Agreement.

I. Background

On November 30, 1990, Defendant Dura Mechanical Components, Inc. purchased the Toledo, Ohio manufacturing facility operated by the Dura Automotive Hardware Division of Wickes Manufacturing Company (“Wickes”). Under the terms of the sales agreement between Wickes and Dura, Wickes retained all financial obligations for retirement pension payments, and Dura assumed liability for retiree health insurance plans.

At the time of the purchase, Wickes and the UAW were parties to a Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”), which contained the two retirement benefit provisions at issue in this case. Article IV of the CBA provides, in pertinent part:

8. Special Age 65 Benefit
... [A] retired Employee sixty-five (65) or older who is receiving a monthly benefit ... shall receive a monthly Special Age 65 Benefit equal to the amount of the premium for Medicare Part “B” (in addition to the amount of monthly pension otherwise provided)____
9. Section 9 Benefit
Any Employee who has retired and who received in any month a ... retirement benefit and who ... is an “Insured Individual” shall be entitled to a “Section 9 Benefit” ... under the plan. An “Insured Individual” is one who is enrolled for hospitalization and medical coverage ... under the Company’s Insurance Plan---- A “Section 9 Benefit” shall be an amount ... equal to fifty (50) percent of the monthly premium payable to retain such Employee’s covered status under such Plan____

(Joint Stip. of Facts at 4.) Article XII of the CBA, which addresses retirement benefits, [877]*877provides that the 50% retiree health insurance coverage “will continue for the duration of this Agreement only provided that the Company shall be free of its obligation during the period that any such retired employee is employed by any other employer who provides its employees with medical insurance.” (Id. at 6.) The CBA further provides that it “may be modified, altered, or amended upon mutual agreement of the Company and the Union.” (Id. at 5.) The CBA expired on January 31,1991, and Dura and UAW began negotiating for a new CBA at that time.

By letter dated February 13, 1991, Dura notified its employees that all retiree health insurance benefits would be terminated, effective February 28, 1991. On February 26, 1991, two of Defendant’s retired employees filed suit in the District Court, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, to compel Defendant to pay those insurance benefits. Chinni v. Dura Mechanical Components, Inc., Case No. 3:91 CV 7107. On March 22, 1991, the Court granted a preliminary injunction in Chinni, ordering Dura to continue to pay its retirees the Special Age 65 and Section 9 Benefits pending disposition of the suit.

Thereafter, difficulties in the automotive industry resulted in the closing of the Toledo plant. Dura announced the phased shutdown of the plant on May 2,1991. Dura and UAW thereafter entered into negotiations for a Plant Closing Agreement. The Plant Closing Agreement, which was meant to be a comprehensive resolution of all issues between the parties, was executed and ratified on December 17,1991.

Several portions of the Plant Closing Agreement addressed the issues of retiree insurance benefits, settlement of claims, and the then-pending Chinni litigation. The salient portions are reproduced below:

Article V — Vested Benefits
Employees shall continue to accrue the benefits and benefit eligibility set forth in this Article during all periods prior to the individual permanent layoff. Employees shall receive fringe benefit payments covered by this Article in accordance with the expired collective bargaining agreement unless the employee, his union and the employer agree to a different payment period. Only those benefits specifically enumerated below are considered vested benefits which must be paid. Any benefit not explicitly provided in this Article ends. For purposes of this section benefits include the following: [vacation pay; holiday pay; life insurance for active employees; hospitalization insurance for active employees; prescription drug coverage; bereavement pay; jury duty pay]----
The Company shall have no obligation to provide Retirement Income Plan coverage or benefits. Accrual of such benefits ended with acquisition of the Toledo plant effective November 30,1990.
Article VI — Settlement
C. The Union represents that in the “retiree health insurance” — Case No. 3:91 CV 7107, the parties have agreed in principle to the major issues of the settlement. The minor issues which remain are close to resolution and should not impede full settlement. After class notification and approval, said action will be dismissed against the Company and Wickes.
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G. The Union, on behalf of itself and its members, and the Company waive all legal claims against each other including claims for breach of collective bargaining agreement, ERISA, wrongful discharge, employment discrimination, the WARN Act, National Labor Relations Act or any other statute or theory of law. It is the intent of the parties to resolve all potential claims by this plant closing agreement.

While the Plant Closing Agreement was being negotiated, negotiations continued in the Chinni litigation. On March 2, 1992, roughly twelve weeks after the Plant Closing Agreement was ratified, the Chinni plaintiffs filed a motion for provisional class certification pending settlement of that action. In that motion, the plaintiffs sought to include in the settlement class three categories of plaintiffs in addition to the group of Dura’s former employees who had retired prior to January 31, 1991. Specifically, the plaintiffs sought to add: (1) active employees of Dura who retired after January 31, 1991 and were [878]

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Bluebook (online)
934 F. Supp. 874, 20 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 1621, 152 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2661, 1996 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 9379, 1996 WL 421897, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/terrell-v-dura-mechanical-components-inc-ohnd-1996.