United States Steel Corp. v. United Steelworkers of America

398 F. Supp. 449, 90 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3024, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11419
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedJuly 16, 1975
DocketCiv. 5-75-65
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 398 F. Supp. 449 (United States Steel Corp. v. United Steelworkers of America) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States Steel Corp. v. United Steelworkers of America, 398 F. Supp. 449, 90 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3024, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11419 (mnd 1975).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND CONTEMPT ORDER

HEANEY, District Judge, Sitting by Designation.

This cause came on to be heard upon the motions of the plaintiff for an adjudication that the originally named defendants herein as well as defendants Donald J. Ahlstrand, George R. Shelton, Joseph Rannikar, Harold B. Soland, George M. Champa, Norbert L. Sarazine, Peter G. Stone, Keith R. Balke, and Edward J. Vaughn, Jr., are in civil contempt of this Court by reason of their *450 having violated and disobeyed the Temporary Restraining Order issued by this Court after a hearing held on July 9, 1975, and amended by order entered on July 12, 1975. This Court having on July 11, 1975 and on July 15, 1975 issued orders requiring said defendants to show cause why they should not be adjudged in civil contempt of this Court as prayed in said motion, a hearing on the orders to show cause was held on July 16, 1975. All parties were offered full opportunity to be heard, to present evidence on the issues, and to argue on the evidence and the law. The plaintiff appeared by its attorney, Mr. William P. O’Brien. Defendants United Steelworkers of America, Local Union No. 1938, Eugene P. Simonson, Edward D. Verant, Peter Benzoni, Clifford Campbell, and William T. Coombe, Jr., appeared by their attorney, Mr. John G. Engberg. All other individually named defendants, except for George R. Shelton, who was never served with the Order to Show Cause, appeared by their attorney, Mr. Newton S. Friedman.

This Court, having duly considered the pleadings, evidence, briefs, arguments of counsel and the entire record in this case, makes the following:

FINDINGS OF FACT:

1. On July 9, 1975, this Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order enjoining the defendants from acting in aid of, or in conjunction with, or in concert with any person or persons from:

, (a) Picketing in any manner at or in the vicinity of the mine and plant site of the plaintiff at its Minntac Mine and Plant locations;

(b) Interfering in any way with any of plaintiff’s employees, or others, in connection with ingress or egress to or from said mine and plant area;

(c) Ordering, inducing, intimidating, coercing or attempting to order, induce, intimidate or coerce any of plaintiff’s employees with the intent or effect of causing them to fail or refuse to perform services for the plaintiff;

(d) Advising, protecting, aiding, assisting or abetting any person or persons in the commission of any of the acts hereinbefore enumerated.

2. On July 12, 1975, this Court amended the Temporary Restraining Order to provide that it restrained and enjoined any person having actual notice of the order from engaging in any of the aforesaid acts.

3. The Amended Temporary Restraining Order of July 12, 1975, has been prominently and conspicuously posted at all entrances to the plaintiff’s property, and both the original and the amended orders have been published in the Chisholm Free Press, Mesabi Daily News, Hibbing Daily Tribune, Duluth News Tribune and Duluth Herald.

4. The originally named defendants have been served with a copy of the Temporary Restraining Order, and the amendment thereof, by means of service of the orders on their counsel, Mr. John Engberg and Mr. Newton Friedman.

5. Defendants Donald J. Ahlstrand, Joseph Rannikar, Harold B. Soland, George M. Champa, Norbert L. Sarazine, Peter G. Stone, Keith R. Balke and Edward J. Vaughn, Jr., have actual notice of the Amended Temporary Restraining Order and of the contents thereof.

6. Despite the issuance of the Temporary Restraining Order and the amendment thereof, the work stoppage and picketing in the vicinity of the mine and plant site of the plaintiff at its Minntac Mine and Plant locations has continued, and said picketing was continuing at such locations at the time of the hearing on the order to show cause.

7. Because of said picketing, ingress and egress to and from plaintiff’s property at its Minntac Mine and Plant locations have been almost totally obstructed.

*451 8. After having received actual notice of the Amended Temporary Restraining Order, defendants Donald J. Ahlstrand, Joseph Rannikar, Harold B. Soland, George M. Champa, Norbert L. Sarazine, Peter G. Stone, Keith R. Balke and Edward J. Vaughn, Jr., engaged in picketing activities a't plaintiff’s property at the Minntac Mine and Plant locations on the afternoon of July 14, 1975.

9. After being served with the Temporary Restraining Order and the amendment thereof, defendant Eugene P. Simonson has not returned to work at plaintiff’s operations, nor has said defendant made any explanation to this Court for his failure to do so.

10. Although the Local Union and the District and International Unions have taken some steps to encourage their members to return to work, including the sending of a telegram to certain of the workers as required by the Temporary Restraining Order, and the placing of advertisements in local newspapers, no disciplinary actions have been instituted under the Union’s Constitution against those members who have continued to stay away from work or against those officers, stewards and grievance men of the Union who have not returned to work, and the statements of defendant Eugene P. Simonson with respect to the obligations of members of the Union to live up to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement and return to work have been ambivalent.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW:

1. The Temporary Restraining Order and the amendment thereof were duly issued by the Court, which had jurisdiction over the parties and the subject matter under 29 U.S.C. § 185, and notice thereof was duly communicated to all defendants.

2. Defendants Donald J. Ahlstrand, Joseph Rannikar, Harold B. Soland, George M. Champa, Norbert L. Sarazine, Peter G. Stone, Keith R. Balke and Edward J. Vaughn, Jr., have violated the Amended Temporary Restraining Order by their acts as set forth herein.

3. Defendants United Steelworkers of America, Local Union No. 1938, and Eugene P. Simonson have violated the Temporary Restraining Order and the amendment thereof by attempting to circumvent the Court’s order and by failing to take such action as is reasonable and appropriate to bring about compliance with this Court’s Temporary Restraining Order and the amendment thereof.

4. Issuance of an adjudication and order in civil contempt against the above-named defendants is appropriate because of their acts herein, which have been found to constitute civil contempt of this Court’s Temporary Restraining Order and the amendment thereof.

Now, therefore, upon all the pleadings and proceedings heretofore had herein, it is hereby:

Ordered, adjudged and decreed that defendants United Steelworkers of America, Local Union No. 1938, Eugene P. Simonson, Donald J. Ahlstrand, Joseph Rannikar, Harold B. Soland, George M. Champa, Norbert L. Sarazine, Peter G. Stone, Keith R. Balke and Edward J.

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Bluebook (online)
398 F. Supp. 449, 90 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 3024, 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11419, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-steel-corp-v-united-steelworkers-of-america-mnd-1975.