United States v. LOCAL NO. 8, INT. ASS'N OF BRIDGE, S., O. & RI

315 F. Supp. 1202
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedJune 16, 1970
DocketCiv. A. 8618
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 315 F. Supp. 1202 (United States v. LOCAL NO. 8, INT. ASS'N OF BRIDGE, S., O. & RI) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. LOCAL NO. 8, INT. ASS'N OF BRIDGE, S., O. & RI, 315 F. Supp. 1202 (W.D. Wash. 1970).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

LINDBERG, Chief Judge.

This cause having regularly come on for trial commencing on February 17, *1204 1970, upon plaintiff’s claim against defendant Ironworkers Local 86, Ironworkers Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, Sheet Metal Workers Local 99, Sheet Metal Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, Plumbers and Pipe-fitters Local 32, Plumbers and Pipefitters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, and Electricians Local 46, and counsel for the plaintiff and each of these defendants having appeared and the Court having heard the evidence, the argument of counsel, examined the exhibits, read the transcript of proceedings, and considered the briefs submitted by counsel, now makes the following:

I

FINDINGS OF FACT APPLICABLE TO LOCAL 86, INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF BRIDGE, STRUCTURAL, ORNAMENTAL, AND REINFORCING IRON-WORKERS

1. Local Union No. 86 of the International Association of Bridge, Structural, and Ornamental Ironworkers (hereinafter Local 86) is a labor organization representing workmen in the ironwork trade. Its geographical jurisdiction includes King, Kittitas, Jefferson, Kitsap, and Yakima Counties; the south half of Clallam, Snohomish, Chelan and Island Counties and all projects spanning the Columbia River from Okanogan County to Benton County, all in the State of Washington. Its principal place of business is at 2800 First Avenue, Seattle. (Admitted Facts, par. 1)

2. Local 86 is party to a collective bargaining agreement with ironwork contractors represented by the Seattle Northwest, Tacoma, and Mountain Pacific Chapters of the Associated General Contractors of America, Inc. The agreement is in effect through July 20, 1971. (Admitted Facts, par. 5)

3. Local 86 has an exclusive hiring hall for contractors with whom it has collective bargaining agreements. The employer must call the union in order to obtain men; he can obtain men from other sources only if the union is unable to fill his request for men within 48 hours. (PI. Ex. 39, pp. 5-6)

4. Through its hiring hall Local 86 controls at least 90 percent of the employment opportunities in the building construction classifications of the ironwork trade in the Seattle and Western Washington area within its geographical jurisdiction. (Admitted Facts, par. 7)

5. In January 1970 Local 86 had approximately 920 members. (Pl. Ex. 1; Pl. Ex. 246, p. 60; Pl. Ex. 245, p. 46) Local 86 has only one black journeyman member, Howard Lewis, who was admitted on September 12, 1969, pursuant to an order of the Washington State Board Against Discrimination. (Admitted Facts, par. 3, 4; Facts Not To Be Contested) Local 86 also has two black apprentices; John Ingram, who was admitted on October 10, 1969, and Early Johnson, who was first dispatched on October 3, 1969. (Admitted Facts, par. 3, 4)

6. In the operation of its hiring hall Local 86 maintains an out of work list for workmen seeking referral. (PI. Ex. 246, p. 11) Local 86 uses the following standards and procedures in the operation of the hiring hall:

a. Workmen who register for referral to jobs in the trade are given priority in the following order (Admitted Facts, par. 10):

A List: Members of Local 86 who have worked at least three years in the ironwork trade within the geographical jurisdiction of Local 86 (blue cards);
B List: Members of Local 86 or any other “outside” Ironworkers Local who have worked more than nine months in the ironwork trade within the geographical jurisdiction of Local 86 (green cards). An “outside” Iron-workers Local is a local union of the ironworkers which represents workmen in the building construction classification of the ironwork trade;
C List: Members of Local 86 or any other “outside” ironworkers local who *1205 have worked less than nine months m the ironwork trade within the geographical jurisdiction of Local 86 (white cards);
D List: Workmen not members of Local 86 or any other “outside” iron-workers local union (pink cards).

b. The hiring hall operates from 7:00 to 10:00 a. m. (Admitted Facts, par. 10)

c. When employers request workmen from Local 86, hiring hall union personnel offer the jobs to those workmen present in the hiring hall, first, by calling out the name of the contractor and the job location, and, second, by calling the names of the workmen who have registered for referral, in priority order. When the name of a workman who is present in the hall is called, he may claim the job or decline it. (Admitted Facts, par. 10) There are two general exceptions to the foregoing procedures:

(1) When an employer requests a particular workman by name, the hiring hall will fill the request if the man has worked for that employer for six months out of the previous twelve months. (Admitted Facts, par. 10)
(2) When an employer requests a particular workman by name to act as a supervisor the hiring hall will fill the request regardless of the man’s priority standing at the time. (Admitted Facts, par. 10)

In addition to the two general exceptions above, union officials will also occasionally refer men to jobs without going through the normal referral procedure. (Tr. 125)

7. There are three principal classifications of ironworkers: structural iron-workers; rodmen; and welders. Structural men erect and assemble steel beams and like components used in the construction of buildings and bridges. Rodmen (also known as rodbusters) work in the area of reinforcing concrete with steel bars and mats. Welders are responsible for welding various types of heavy gauge metals. (Tr. 24, 25, 112, 1215) Apprentices, irrespective of union membership, are dispatched on a ratio basis m accordance with the number of journeymen required on a given job. Their dispatch system is separate and independent from that of the other men on the out of work list. (Admitted Facts, par. ID

8. The applicable standards for membership set out in Local 86’s constitution are anyone “versed in the duties of some branch of the trade * * *, of good moral character and competent to demand standard wages.” (Pl. Ex. 37, p. 5)

9. An individual may become a member of Local 86 in one of three ways: (a) direct admission to membership; (b) by transferring from a sister ironworkers local; and (c) by completion of the Local’s apprenticeship program. (Tr. 1478; Pl. Ex. 37, pp. 70, 84)

10. Persons seeking membership in Local 86 must have two sponsors who are members of Local 86 and who have been in good standing in Local 86 for two years. (Admitted Facts, par. 17)

11. Howard Lewis and Jettie Murray were and are experienced black welders of journeyman capability who sought referral by and membership in Local 86. On the basis of the following facts, the Court finds that both men were denied referral and membership by Local 86 on account of their race:

a.

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Bluebook (online)
315 F. Supp. 1202, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-local-no-8-int-assn-of-bridge-s-o-ri-wawd-1970.