Texas Construction Co. v. Hoisting & Portable Engineers' Local Union No. 101

286 P.2d 160, 178 Kan. 422, 1955 Kan. LEXIS 291, 36 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2607
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJuly 14, 1955
Docket39,301
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 286 P.2d 160 (Texas Construction Co. v. Hoisting & Portable Engineers' Local Union No. 101) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Texas Construction Co. v. Hoisting & Portable Engineers' Local Union No. 101, 286 P.2d 160, 178 Kan. 422, 1955 Kan. LEXIS 291, 36 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2607 (kan 1955).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Harvey, C. J.:

The sole question presented in this appeal is whether the trial court had jurisdiction of the subject matter. Appellants contend it did not.

We summarize or quote portions of the record bearing upon the question presented as follows:

Plaintiff is a Delaware corporation with its home office in Dallas, Texas, and is duly authorized to do business in this state. Its business consists of the construction of dams and various other types of construction work throughout the United States. At the time the action was filed plaintiff was the general contractor for the construction of the Kirwin Dam on the north fork of the Solomon River in Phillips County for the United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation.

*423 Defendant is a voluntary, unincorporated labor association, with headquarters at Kansas City, Missouri, affiliated with the International Union of Operating Engineers, A. F. of L. Jess Hardy was its duly authorized business agent.

In plaintiff’s petition it was alleged:

“V. Plaintiff does not now have a dispute of any kind or character with any of its employees in regard to wages, hours or other conditions of employment. Plaintiff does not now have, or has ever had at any time, any contractual or bargaining relationship with the above named union, or any of the individual defendants, and none of these defendants nor anyone else has ever been designated as the bargaining agent or representative of the employees of plaintiff. Plaintiff’s employees do not now have nor have they ever had a dispute of any kind or character with the defendants. None of plaintiff’s employees belong to defendant union and they have all expressed their desire to not become affiliated with said union to plaintiff. On or about March 23, 1953, notwithstanding the fact that there was no labor dispute existing between plaintiff and said defendant union, and notwithstanding the fact that all of plaintiff’s employees had made known to plaintiff and defendant union their desire not to join defendant union, defendants caused pickets to be placed at the entrance to the Kirwin Dam Project, one-half mile south of Kirwin, Phillips County, Kansas. The pickets carried banners bearing the following phraseology: ‘Texas Construction Company Refuses to Pay Union Wage Scale to Operating Engineers (Hoisting and Portable Engineers — Local 101) A. F. of L.’ ‘Texas Construction Company Unfair to Organized Labor and Refuses to Employ Union Operating Engineers.’ Plaintiff, in the construction of said Kirwin Dam, necessarily uses materials and equipment which must be transported from distant points. The aforementioned pickets have consistently and repeatedly stopped the drivers of trucks transporting materials and equipment into the Kirwin Dam Project and threatened to ‘skin their heads’ and do them other bodily harm if they should cross the picket line. Said pickets have also threatened plaintiff’s employees with bodily harm if they continue to work on the construction of the Kirwin Dam. As a result of said violent acts and threats by the pickets, many of the truck drivers transporting materials and equipment to the Kirwin Project have been afraid and refused to cross the picket line, and the construction of the Kirwin Dam has been impeded and ‘slowed down’ because of the loss of use of said equipment and tire deprivation of the use of said materials. The intent and purpose of said picketing is to unlawfully compel plaintiff to recognize the defendant union as exclusive representative of plaintiff’s employees for the purpose of collective bargaining and to unlawfully compel plaintiff to sign a collective bargaining agreement with the Union. Defendants well know that the placing of pickets about the premises of the Kirwin Dam Project, as aforesaid, for the purpose of accomplishing the unlawful objects as aforesaid will result in and have the necessary effect of stopping delivery of goods and materials to said premises and will interfere with, impede and slow down the construction of said Kirwin Dam. Defendants well know that plaintiff is obligated under the law to recognize as exclusive bargaining agent only a labor organization which is selected by majority of plaintiff’s employees and *424 defendants well know that for plaintiff to recognize tire union as the labor organization selected by a majority of their employees, when in fact and in truth all of plaintiff’s employees desire not to belong to said union and do not wish to enter the union to represent them as exclusive bargaining agent, will be contrary to law and compel plaintiff to commit unlawful acts and that plaintiff would unlawfully be interfering with the rights of the employees to freely choose, designate and select a labor organization of their own choice as guaranteed by law. Plaintiff can not lawfully so recognize the union and force upon its employees a collective bargaining agent which is not of their own choosing.
“VI. Such pickets so unlawfully placed at, about and around the premises at the Kirwin Dam Project were placed there at the direction of the defendants for the purpose of coercing employees of the plaintiff against their will to join said union and permit said union to be their exclusive bargaining agent, contrary to fact and without any such designation having been authorized by secret ballot and other proceedings rendered and provided by law.
“VII. The defendants and each of them have committed and caused the commission of unlawful acts complained of herein and have sought to injure and damage plaintiff by preventing the construction of said Kirwin Dam and unless restrained and enjoined from so doing will continue to prevent the construction of said dam and will continue to threaten plaintiff’s employees with bodily harm.”

It was further alleged that plaintiff had no adequate remedy at law. The prayer was that defendants be restrained and enjoined from picketing plaintiff’s place of business.

Plaintiff’s verified petition and verified motion for a restraining order were filed May 4,1953, in the district court of Phillips County, Kansas. The temporary restraining order was issued on that day and the hearing upon the issuance of a temporary injunction was set for May 8, 1953, and notice was given to defendants. On May 8, 1953, the parties appeared and plaintiff introduced its evidence, and counsel for the respective parties made oral argument. The court took the matter under advisement. Rriefs were furnished by counsel, and on May 19, 1953, the court made findings of fact and conclusions of law and granted the temporary injunction, requiring plaintiff to give a bond in a stated amount, which was done. The case was set for hearing on June 16, 1953, on its merits.

On May 19, 1953, defendants filed their answer, which reads:

“Come now the defendants and deny each and every allegation and statement of fact contained in the petition of plaintiff.
“For further answer defendants state that the relief sought, under the facts and allegations set forth is a denial to defendants of their rights under the constitution of the United States of America and specifically a denial of their rights under Amendments No. 1 and No. 14 to the constitution.

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Bluebook (online)
286 P.2d 160, 178 Kan. 422, 1955 Kan. LEXIS 291, 36 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/texas-construction-co-v-hoisting-portable-engineers-local-union-no-kan-1955.