United States v. Greater Blouse, Skirt & Neckwear Contractors' Ass'n

177 F. Supp. 213, 44 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2955, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2633, 1959 Trade Cas. (CCH) 69,454
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 8, 1959
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 177 F. Supp. 213 (United States v. Greater Blouse, Skirt & Neckwear Contractors' Ass'n) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Greater Blouse, Skirt & Neckwear Contractors' Ass'n, 177 F. Supp. 213, 44 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2955, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2633, 1959 Trade Cas. (CCH) 69,454 (S.D.N.Y. 1959).

Opinion

DIMOCK, District Judge.

These are motions by all defendants in a criminal antitrust ease in which three associations, one labor union and five individuals are charged with violations of sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, 26 Stat. 209, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1, 2, in the production of ladies’ blouses in a four-state area.

*216 Defendant Strasser moves under Rule 12, F.R.Crim.P., for dismissal of the indictment. All of the defendants, with the exception of defendant Strasser, move under Rule 14, F.R.Crim.P., for relief from an alleged prejudicial joinder of defendant Strasser, and, under Rules 16 and 17(c), F.R.Crim.P., for inspection and production of various documents in the Government’s possession. All of the defendants move under Rule 7(f), F.R. Crim.P. for extensive bills of particulars. Finally, defendants ask leave to make further motions with respect to this indictment, after the Government’s compliance with any requirements of this decision concerning bills of particulars and discovery and inspection, and at any time before trial. Each motion is opposed by the Government.

The indictment, in count 1, charges that defendants, and other co-conspirators not named as defendants, engaged in an unlawful combination and conspiracy, in restraint of interstate trade and commerce, in count 2 that they engaged in an unlawful combination to monopolize interstate trade and commerce, and in count 3 that they engaged in an attempt to monopolize interstate trade and commerce.

Named as defendants are the following:

Greater Blouse, Skirt & Neckwear Contractors Association, Inc. (hereinafter Greater), a New York corporation, claimed to be “an association whose members are contractors who produce, among other things, ladies’ blouses and do business in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut;”

Slate Belt Apparel Contractors’ Association, Inc. (hereinafter Slate Belt), a Pennsylvania corporation, also claimed to be “an association whose members are contractors who produce ladies’ blouses” and who do business in Pennsylvania and New York;

National Association of Blouse Manufacturers, Inc. (hereinafter National), a New York corporation, claimed to be “an association whose members are manufacturers or jobbers of ladies’ blouses doing business in New York, New York”;

Blouse and Waistmakers’ Union, Local 25, International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (hereinafter Local 25), claimed to be “a voluntary association, organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York” whose membership “consists of workers engaged in the production of ladies’ blouses”;

James Clemenza, employed by Greater since 1953 and its Executive Director since 1957;

I. Lloyd Cabin, alleged to have been “associated with either Greater or Slate Belt in an executive capacity” during the entire period of the indictment;

Charles Kreindler, alleged to have been the “Manager of Local 25 and a vice president of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union” during the entire period covered by this indictment;

Abraham Rosenthal, claimed to have been president of National from in or about 1949, the beginning of the period covered by this indictment, to November 1950 and from November 1952 to September 1956;

Harry Strasser.

The indictment charges the following:

In the ladies’ blouse industry the term “contractor” refers to persons, firms or corporations “engaged in the business of producing ladies’ blouses from uncut or cut material owned by the jobber or manufacturer for whom such person, firm or corporation is producing those blouses.” A contractor, it is alleged, “owns the means of producing such blouses, hires labor and takes the risk of profit or loss in the conduct of his business.” The terms “jobber” and “manufacturer” refer to a person, firm or corporation “engaged primarily in the-business of selling ladies’ blouses at wholesale, and who has some or all of' those blouses produced by contractors.”'

“33. The aforesaid combination and conspiracy has consisted of a continuing-agreement and concert of action among the defendants and co-conspirators, the-substantial terms of which have been and. *217 are to: fix the prices the members National would be required to pay to members of Greater and Slate Belt for blouse contracting work; allocate the blouse contracting work of members of National among the members of Greater and Slate Belt; require members of National to use members of Greater and Slate Belt exclusively to do blouse contracting work; establish a policing and enforcing system to prevent violations of the conspiracy; impose penalties or damages for violations of the conspiracy; and require manufacturers and jobbers of ladies blouses who were not members of National either to join National or to conform to the aforesaid terms of the conspiracy. of

“34. During the period covered by the indictment the said combination and conspiracy has been effectuated by various means and methods including, among others, the following:

“(1) In 1949 Slate Belt was formed by a group of contractors in Pennsylvania. Late that year, some time in October, Slate Belt affiliated with Greater. Under their affiliation agreement, Slate Belt’s members became members of Greater. And Slate Belt was bound by all agreements made, or to be made, by Greater with Local 25 and National.

“(2) At about the same time, Greater, National and Local 25 evolved a plan to stabilize the blouse industry in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut. Carrying out this plan, Greater and National entered into an agreement in 1950 under the terms of which (1) prices to be paid contractors were fixed; (2) blouse contracting work of the members of National was allocated among the members of Greater and Slate Belt; (3) members of National were required to give their contracting work exclusively to members of Greater and Slate Belt; (4) members of Greater and Slate Belt were required to work exclusively for members of National; (5) an enforcement system through an industry Impartial Chairman was established.

“(3) In conjunction with the Greater-National agreement, Local 25 entered into separate agreements with National and Greater. These agreements provided that blouse contracting work of members of National was to be allocated among the members of Greater and Slate Belt; penalties were to be imposed upon members of National for violation of the allocation system; and an enforcement system was promulgated utilizing the same industry Impartial Chairman named in the Greater-National agreement.

“(4) All the above described agreements were in effect during the period 1950 through 1952. And during such period, Local 25 and National conducted a campaign to force non-member jobbers and manufacturers either to join National or to conform substantially with the terms of the Greater-National agreement. The Greater-National-Local 25-Slate Belt arrangements continued through 1952.

“(5) In 1953, however, Slate Belt, dissatisfied with its alliance with Greater, broke away from Greater. Slate Belt then entered into independent agreements with National and with locals of the ILGWU located in Pennsylvania.

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177 F. Supp. 213, 44 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2955, 1959 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2633, 1959 Trade Cas. (CCH) 69,454, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-greater-blouse-skirt-neckwear-contractors-assn-nysd-1959.