Truck Drivers and Helpers Local Union No. 696 v. Grosshans & Petersen, Inc.

209 F. Supp. 164, 6 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 248, 51 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2116, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4132
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedSeptember 11, 1962
DocketNo. T-2933
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 209 F. Supp. 164 (Truck Drivers and Helpers Local Union No. 696 v. Grosshans & Petersen, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Truck Drivers and Helpers Local Union No. 696 v. Grosshans & Petersen, Inc., 209 F. Supp. 164, 6 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 248, 51 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2116, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4132 (D. Kan. 1962).

Opinion

TEMPLAR, District Judge.

This is an action under section 301(a) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 185, to compel arbitration un[166]*166der the relevant section of a collective bargaining agreement between the parties. The defendant has filed a motion to compel answer to a certain interrogatory relative to the grievance procedure and a motion to dismiss based on the grounds that this Court is without jurisdiction of the subject matter; is without jurisdiction and barred from the exercising of the relief requested; and is without jurisdiction because the complaint fails to state a claim for which relief may be granted. The factual situation is as follows:

The Truck Drivers and Helpers Local Union No. 696, Topeka, Kansas, an unincorporated labor organization, and Grosshans & Petersen, Inc. d/b/a Petersen Ready-Mix, a Kansas corporation, entered into an agreement dated August 21, 1957. This agreement was for the purpose, inter alia, of establishing the hours, wages, and other conditions of employment, and to adopt measures for the settlement of differences, and the agreement was to be in effect from June 1, 1957, until June 1, 1959, and was to “continue in effect from year to year thereafter unless written notice of desire to change, amend or terminate is given by either party not less than sixty (60) days prior to the annual expiration date.” Article IX of the agreement defines grievances and explains the procedure should a grievance occur, and Article XI pertains to strikes and lockouts.

Article IX reads in pertinent part as follows:

“1. All grievances and disputes arising under this Agreement between the Employer and the Union will be handled as hereinafter provided.
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“3. Grievances are defined as any dispute over the interpretation or application of the provisions of this Agreement. Grievances not presented to the Employer within five (5) days after the alleged incident giving rise thereto shall be considered as waived. All grievances shall be presented in writing. All grievances shall be handled in accordance with the following steps, and it is understood that any settlements made at any of such steps will be final and binding upon all parties.
“1. Between the Employer and the aggrieved employee, either with or without the job steward and such employee’s foreman.
“2. If no satisfactory settlement is reached within ten (10) working days in Step 1, the employee shall then take the matter up with the business representative of the Union who will discuss the grievance with the properly designated representative or representatives of the Employer.
“3. If no settlement is reached within fifteen (15) working days, the business representative of the Union and the plant manager or his designated representative or representatives shall attempt to settle the grievance.
“4. If no settlement is made of the grievance pursuant to the provisions of Steps 1, 2, and 3 within twenty (20) working days, the matter shall be referred to a Board of Arbitration consisting of one representative selected by the Employer and one representative selected by the Union, and a third impartial member chosen by the two said arbiters. The decision of the said Board of Arbitration on the issues as submitted in writing, shall be final and binding on all parties, provided that the Board shall have no power to add to, subtract from, or alter the provisions of this Agreement. The cost of arbitration shall be borne equally between the Union and the Employer. The Board of Arbitration shall be selected within a period of thirty (30) days after the grievance shall have reached the 4th Step in this procedure. Any grievance on the part of the Employer shall be handled by and in accordance with Steps 3 and 4 above. The [167]*167Employer shall advise the Union in writing of any grievance settlements made with any individual employee. .
“The above is subject to the right of individual employees to present and settle their grievances without intervention of the bargaining representative, so long as the adjustment is not inconsistent with the terms of this Agreement, and provided that the bargaining representative has b.een given an opportunity to be present at such adjustment.”

Article XI reads:

“The Union agrees that there shall be no strikes, work stoppages, slow down or picketing during the term of this Agreement, and the Employer agrees that there shall be no lockouts. It is understood that it shall not be a violation of this Agreement for a driver to refuse to cross an authorized picket line.”

On July 16, 1961, while the Agreement was in effect, the Truck Drivers and Helpers Local Union No. 696 brought this action to require Petersen Ready-Mix “to submit grievances and complaint of the plaintiff to the Board of Arbitration * * However, the statement of jurisdictional grounds set forth in the complaint and on which plaintiff relies reads as follows:

“3. This action is brought in accordance with Title III, Section 301(a) cited as (June 23, 1947, c. 120, Title III, Paragraph 301, 61 Stat. 156; 29 U.S.C.A. Paragraph 185.) In accordance with said statute, plaintiff brings this action asking the Court to order arbitration and to issue mandatory injunction commanding the defendant to submit to grievance procedure and to. arbitrate grievances filed by the Union on behalf of the defendant’s employees.
“4. There is in effect a duly executed labor agreement between the plaintiff and the defendant. Under said agreement plaintiff is the exclusive bargaining agent for the employees of the defendant •x *
“5. In accordance with said agreement, plaintiff has made demands for arbitration under said agreement and defendant refuses to abide by the terms of said agreement. That according to the terms of the contract defendant refuses to pay the wage scales provided for its employees.”

Before proceeding further with the state of the pleadings in this matter, the statute, 29 U.S.C.A. § 185(a), [§ 301(a)] should be considered. It reads:

“Suits for violation of contracts between an employer and a labor organization representing employees in an industry affecting commerce as defined in this chapter, * * * may be brought in any district court of the United States having jurisdiction of the parties, without respect to the amount in controversy or without regard to the citizenship of the parties.” (Emphasis supplied) Inspection of the complaint filed in this case reveals that it is void of any allegation that the industry involved herein is within the “affecting commerce as defined in this chapter” clause.

Rule 8(a), F.R.Civ.P., 28 U.S.C.A. requires that a claim for relief contain a short and plain statement of the grounds upon which the court’s jurisdiction depends, unless the court already has jurisdiction and the claim needs no new grounds of jurisdiction to support it. Non-compliance with the rule results in dismissal of the complaint unless the defect is corrected by amendment. Further, the complaint must show affirmatively jurisdiction of the subject matter, and when such affirmative averments are not made, the complaint may be dismissed on motion. Jurisdictional sanctity is determined solely from the allegations of the complaint.

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209 F. Supp. 164, 6 Fed. R. Serv. 2d 248, 51 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2116, 1962 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 4132, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/truck-drivers-and-helpers-local-union-no-696-v-grosshans-petersen-inc-ksd-1962.