United States v. United Ass'n of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry of the United States & Canada Local Union Number 24

364 F. Supp. 808
CourtDistrict Court, D. New Jersey
DecidedAugust 20, 1973
DocketCiv. A. 444-71
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 364 F. Supp. 808 (United States v. United Ass'n of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry of the United States & Canada Local Union Number 24) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. New Jersey primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. United Ass'n of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry of the United States & Canada Local Union Number 24, 364 F. Supp. 808 (D.N.J. 1973).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

(Electricians Cluster)

GARTH, District Judge:

This action was brought on March 25, 1971, by the Attorney General on behalf of the United States, seeking relief from violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq., and from interference with the implementation of Presidential Executive Order 11246 forbidding racial discrimination in employment opportunities by government contractors. Pursuant to statutory mandate, 1 this case was assigned for hearing at the earliest practicable date.

At the outset of the proceeding each defendant moved for a severance because of the alleged peculiarities and differences among the various trades, contracts and practices. While denying the formal motions for severance, I structured the presentation of proofs and trial order as follows: the government initially would be required to present proofs common to all defendants with all defendants present; thereafter, the defendants by “cluster” or trade 2 would be deemed “severed” and each such “cluster” or trade would be tried separately. The parties agreed and stipulated that the initial or “common” part of the trial was to be incorporated into each separate trial of a “cluster” or trade.

To expedite the trials of all “clusters” the court scheduled and supervised pretrial discovery and pretrial conferences held at prescribed intervals, culminating in a formal pretrial order as to each “cluster” or trade. This procedure resulted in a complete stipulated consent decree with respect to the Operating Engineers and a complete decree entered upon stipulated facts with respect to the Plumbers. 3 In a similar fashion the *811 Ironworkers and the government agreed upon all provisions to be incorporated in the Ironworkers decree other than those provisions relating to the requirements to be imposed on applicants seeking journeyman membership. 4 The remaining aspects of the Ironworker case were disposed of in an opinion and decree dated December 22, 1972.

The findings of facts herein are derived from stipulations of counsel, the pretrial order, and evidence adduced at trial. 5

JURISDICTION

The Court has jurisdiction over the subject matter of this action and the parties to it by virtue of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq. The Attorney General is authorized under Section 707(a) of that Act to institute suit to enjoin a pattern or practice of discrimination and to request such relief as may be necessary to insure the full enjoyment of the rights described in Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e —6(a).

FINDINGS OF FACT

Parties

1. Defendant International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union Number 52 (hereafter Local 52), is an unincorporated association of persons engaged in the electrical trade. Local 52 has approximately 600 journeyman members and is a labor organization engaged in an industry affecting commerce within the meaning of Section 701(d), (e), of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(d), (e). Local 52’s geographical jurisdiction includes all of Essex County, New Jersey, and its principal office is located at 717 South Orange Avenue, Newark, New Jersey (Uncontested Facts, paragraph 1; hereafter U.F. 1).

2. As of March 25, 1971, defendant Essex Division of the New Jersey Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association (hereafter Essex Division), was a branch of the New Jersey Chapter containing those members of the Chapter having their principal offices in Essex County, New Jersey. Since January 1972, the Essex Division has been a branch of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of ÑECA. The members of the Essex Division are contractors engaged in the electrical construction industry, and one function of the Division is the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements on behalf of its members with Local 52.- The principal office of the Northern New Jersey Chapter, National Electrical Contractors Association, is located at 1120 Morris Avenue, Springfield, New Jersey (U.F. 2).

3. The Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (hereafter *812 JAC) is an unincorporated body composed of six members, of whom three are representatives of Local 52 and three are representatives of the Essex Division. The JAC administers and controls the apprenticeship training program in the electrical trade within the jurisdiction of Local 52 and selects participants for that training program. The JAC is a joint labor management committee controlling apprenticeship within the meaning of Section 703(d) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e — 2(d). It principal office is located at 717 South Orange Avenue, Newark, New Jersey (U. F. 3, Pl.Ex. 14).

Referral Procedures

4. Local 52 operates an exclusive hiring hall pursuant to its collective bargaining agreement with the Essex Division. That is, contractors who are parties to the agreement are obliged to hire electricians through Local 52. The union refers to the contractors the requisite number of men needed from among individuals who have registered for work at the hall. Three categories of electricians make use of Local 52’s hiring hall: (1) members of Local 52; (2) members of other IBEW locals (“travelers”) ; and (3) persons who are not members of any IBEW local union (PI. Ex. 13).

5. The agreement between Local 52 and the Essex Division establishes five priority groups for referral purposes. According to the agreement, all persons who are eligible for Group I and who have registered for work at the union hall are referred first, then all persons in Group II, all persons in Group III, all persons in Group IV, and finally all persons in Group V. A person in Group I always has a priority right to referral over all persons in Groups II through V, even though persons in Groups II through V may have registered for work before persons in Group I (Pl.Ex. 13; Tr. 29-32).

6. The collective bargaining agreement in effect on March 25, 1971, the date this action was instituted, provided that Group I would include all persons who (1) have four or more years experience in the trade, (2) are residents of northern New Jersey, or within commuting distance thereto, (3) have passed Local 52’s journeyman examination, and (4) have been employed at least four years under a collective bargaining agreement between Local 52 and the Essex Division. In fact, all such individuals are necessarily members of Local 52, because the union admits into membership all persons who pass its examination.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Mele v. United States Department of Justice
395 F. Supp. 592 (D. New Jersey, 1975)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
364 F. Supp. 808, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-united-assn-of-journeymen-apprentices-of-the-plumbing-njd-1973.