United Steelworkers 2116 v. Cyclops Corp.

653 F. Supp. 574, 8 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 1194, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 741
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedJanuary 20, 1987
DocketNo. C-1-83-1051
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 653 F. Supp. 574 (United Steelworkers 2116 v. Cyclops Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United Steelworkers 2116 v. Cyclops Corp., 653 F. Supp. 574, 8 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 1194, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 741 (S.D. Ohio 1987).

Opinion

ORDER

HERMAN JACOB WEBER, District Judge.

This matter is before the Court upon Motions for Summary Judgment filed by both plaintiffs and defendant (doc. nos. 18 and 19). In addition, plaintiffs have filed a Motion to Strike Defendant’s Supplemental Affidavits (doc. no. 33).

The parties have entered into stipulations concerning this case (doc. no. 16). The parties have stipulated that Cyclops Corporation (“Cyclops”), a Pennsylvania corporation, is and was at all relevant times, engaged in various businesses, including steel production at several sites. Prior to November 22, 1980, Cyclops owned and operated steel-making and related production facilities in the Portsmouth, Ohio area (“the Portsmouth facility”), these being the same facilities at which plaintiffs formerly were employed by Cyclops. Cyclops operated the Portsmouth facility as part of its Empire-Detroit Steel Division, a division of Cyclops. Encompassed in the Portsmouth facility as of January, 1980, were an operating coke plant, blast furnace and open-hearth furnaces. The coke plant is the same facility at which the named individual plaintiffs are or were employed by New Boston Coke Corporation (“New Boston”).

United Steelworkers of America (“International”) was, since at least the 1940’s, the collective bargaining representative for hourly paid production and maintenance, clerical, technical and plant protection employees who were employed by Cyclops or its predecessors at its Portsmouth facility. Local Union #2116 of the United Steelworkers of America (“Local”) is a subdivision of the International. The International continues to be the collective bargaining representative of all the Cyclops former hourly employees who became employed as hourly employees by New Boston. The International and Cyclops, or its predeces[576]*576sors since the 1940’s, have entered into a series of collective bargaining agreements which, since the 1950’s, have included pension provisions.

In effect from August 1, 1977 through July 81, 1980 were collective bargaining agreements for the production and maintenance employees, the clerical and technical' employees and the plant protection employees. Also in effect for that same period was a pension agreement which was to expire on December 31, 1980.

On July 24,1980, the parties entered into an agreement effective August 1, 1980 (“the extension agreement”), which extended the 1977 agreements and pension plan until July 31, 1981 when they expired.

In early 1980, Cyclops determined to cease its operations at its Portsmouth facility. Cyclops attempted to sell the entire facility as a going concern. Ultimately, Cyclops shut down its open-hearth and blast furnace facilities, selling the assets attributable to these facilities. After the shut down of the open-hearth and blast furnace, Cyclops continued operation of the coke plant and attempted to find a purchaser for the assets comprising the coke plant on a going concern basis.

On August 25, 1980, the coke ovens at the coke plant were put into a condition known as “hot idle” under which the temperatures of the coke ovens were maintained in order to prevent cooling which would severely damage the refractory linings of the ovens. This hot idle phase was effected in anticipation of resumption of coke production. The employment of the plaintiffs with Cyclops was not interrupted by this condition.

Cyclops sold the assets of the coke plant to New Boston on November 21, 1980. At the time of the sale, New Boston was a wholly-owned subsidiary of McLouth Steel Corporation (“McLouth”). All stock of New Boston is now held by Fred J. Dery, Trustee of New Boston, who was appointed by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division.

Pursuant to the sale transaction, New Boston desired to employ individuals who were experienced in the operations of the Portsmouth facility, particularly the coke plant. In response, Cyclops created a list which eventually included 227 hourly employees, including plaintiffs, who were designated to work for New Boston following the sale. (Hereinafter these employees are sometimes called the “listed employees”).

In anticipation of the sale of the coke works to New Boston, the International and New Boston entered into negotiations commencing in September of 1980 for the purpose of negotiating a collective bargaining agreement and a pension agreement between the parties which was to become effective with the purchase of the coke works by New Boston from Cyclops and which was to cover all hourly employees hired by New Boston, including the listed employees. The negotiations were successful and on November 12, 1980, the International and New Boston entered into a collective bargaining agreement. A pension agreement was separately executed in March, 1981, effective November 21, 1980. The collective bargaining agreement and pension agreement were in all relevant respects identical to those which had existed between Cyclops and the International. It was the expressed intent of the International and New Boston that the New Boston plan would provide the same terms and conditions as provided in the pension plan negotiated between Cyclops and the International for hourly employees at Portsmouth (“the Cyclops Hourly Plan”), provide identical levels of pension benefits and contain the same eligibility requirements for pensions as did the Cyclops Hourly Plan. It was the expressed intent of the International and New Boston that New Boston would grant full credit to the listed employees for all of their accumulated prior service with Cyclops. Plaintiffs agreed to accept and use their accumulated prior service credits with Cyclops in the New Boston Pension Plan.

Pursuant to the sale transaction, New Boston agreed to assume all accrued (vested and unvested) pension liabilities of the [577]*577listed employees. In consideration therefor, Cyclops agreed to transfer to the New Boston Plan Trustee, assets held by the Cyclops Hourly Plan on behalf of the listed employees.

The International negotiated exclusively with New Boston in all these matters. The International did not negotiate or enter into any agreement with Cyclops with respect to the effects of the sale to New Boston or the transfer of pension plan assets and liabilities to New Boston from Cyclops.

On February 6, 1981, the Trustee of the Cyclops Hourly Plan transferred assets in the amount of $168,380, plus interest since October 31, 1980, to the bank designated in the agreement as the New Boston Plan Trustee. This sum represents the portion of Cyclops Hourly Plan assets which Cyclops actuaries, Towers, Perrin, Forster and Crosby (“TPF & C”), advised was allo-cable to the listed employees at the Cyclops Portsmouth facility pursuant to the federal law governing contributions to pension plans. TPF & C had originally calculated the amount necessary as $327,491, but due to changes in the identities of the listed employees, new calculations were made. TPF & C is in the business of rendering professional actuarial advice and is a national actuarial firm qualified with the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as an enrolled actuary under the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), 29 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq.

The Cyclops Hourly Plan included as participants the 227 listed employees, including the named plaintiffs.

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653 F. Supp. 574, 8 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 1194, 1987 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 741, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-steelworkers-2116-v-cyclops-corp-ohsd-1987.