Yobe v. Sherwin-Williams Co.

122 N.E.2d 202, 68 Ohio Law. Abs. 260, 1954 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 371
CourtTrumbull County Court of Common Pleas
DecidedJune 11, 1954
DocketNo. 63278
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 122 N.E.2d 202 (Yobe v. Sherwin-Williams Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Yobe v. Sherwin-Williams Co., 122 N.E.2d 202, 68 Ohio Law. Abs. 260, 1954 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 371 (Ohio Super. Ct. 1954).

Opinion

OPINION

By McLAIN, J.

This is an appeal to the Court of Common Pleas of Trumbull County, Ohio, from the decision of the Board of Review of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation rendered on the 24th day of December, 1953, wherein this claimant was denied unemployment compensation.

[262]*262The claimant was employed by The Sherwin-Williams Company at Hubbard, Ohio, and commenced work on April 15, 1953. The production workers of the plant were given their annual vacation periods, pursuant to a union contract, from July 20, 1953, to August 3, 1953.

The claimant herein was not entitled to vacation pay under the terms of a collective bargaining agreement which.was in effect between the employer and the union of which this claimant was a member during his employment.

Article VII of the agreement provided, in substance, that those with over a year’s service were entitled to a week’s vaca-' tion pay per year; those with three years’ service, two weeks’ vacation with pay, and those with fifteen years’ service, three weeks’ vacation with pay. The claimant was of course not entitled to a vacation with pay inasmuch as he did not have the requisite one year’s service.

Said Article VII contained a further provision which indicates that it was the intention of the parties to the contract that those who did not have the necessary period of service to qualify for vacation would be employed, insofar as possible, as part of a maintenance crew at such jobs as might be available. The exact language is as follows:

“. . . The company may, at its option, shut down the plant in June, July, August or September for the vacation period. Notice of such shutdown shall be given the employees by April 1st of the year in which the shutdown occurs. The company shall have the right to select a maintenance crew to work during the shutdown and to receive their vacations at other times. Those employees who do not qualify for a vacation at the time of the shutdown may be scheduled to work at such jobs as may be available . . .”

The transcript shows that some employees did work during that time including some not entitled to vacations, and others who took their vacations later. This work was performed on maintenance only, cleaning windows, painting, and so forth, there being no production work done at the plant from July 20th to August 3rd.

The record also shows that the claimant asked the supervisor for maintenance work such as cleaning windows and. so forth. The record further shows that during this period, the claimant did actively seek work in other industrial plants in the area.

The Referee in this case reasons as follows in arriving at his decision which was, in effect, adopted by the Board of Review in disallowing the claimant’s application for benefits:

“The question to be determined at this time is whether claimant was voluntarily or involuntarily unemployed during [263]*263the period covered by the weeks ending July 25, and August 1, 1953. In substance, the contractual agreement existing between the bargaining agent of the employees and the management of the company establishes that the company may, at its discretion, shut down the plant for vacation purposes during the month of June, July, August or September. When a company and a union which is the bargaining agent for all employees, whether members of the union or not, agree to a shut down during a period chosen by the employer for the purpose of granting employees vacation, there can be no doubt but what the employees agree not to work in that place of employment during that period. The question of whether or not they are eligible for vacation pay for all or part of the period is of a secondary nature. Some of the employees, because of the length of their service, may receive pay for the entire period, others for part of the period, while still others receive no pay at all. There is not, in cases of this character or, in fact, in this case, a severance of the employer-employee relationship existing between the workers of the company, the worker knowing that at the expiration of the vacation period he will be returned to his job and continued thereon. In the present instance, that is exactly what happened. After the vacation period was over claimant did return to his employment ....
“In line with the foregoing, it is apparent, therefore, that claimant, through the contract of his bargaining agent, agreed to the vacation period and, consequently, for the weeks in question was not involuntarily but voluntarily unemployed, and does not thereby meet the statutory requirements with regard to eligibility for unemployment compensation . . .”

In other words, the position taken by the Board was that the claimant was voluntarily unemployed during the shutdown for the vacation period and, therefore, not entitled to unemployment compensation.

This issue has been before the Courts in a number of cases in various states since the enactment of unemployment compensation laws, and authority can be found to support both the position of the Bureau of Unemployment Compensation, and the position of the claimant in this case.

In view of this fact, since this question has not been decided by the Supreme Court of the State of Ohio, it appears to be the duty of this Court to determine which line of authority is based upon the sounder reasoning.

The case of Reid v. Board of Review, 155 Oh St 6, a case which originated in this county, is not in point. The Court held in that case that the claimant, being on a paid vacation at the time she filed her application for unemployment com[264]*264pensation was, in effect, still employed and, therefore, was not then eligible for unemployment compensation under the provisions of §1345-6 GC.

An entirely different factual situation exists in this case in which the claimant was unemployed, actively seeking employment and was not on a paid vacation because of a lack of eligibility due to his brief period of service.

The Supreme Court of Ohio has expressly held in the case of Leonard v. Board of Review, 148 Oh St 419, as follows:

“It is generally held that no hard and fast rule as to what constitutes availability for work can be adopted: that availability depends in part on the facts and circumstances in each case.”

In interpreting the statutes of Ohio, §1345-1 through §1346-4 GC, the Legislature has also issued a directory to the Courts as follows:

“Sec. 1345-33 GC. Sec. 1345-1 through §1346-4, inclusive, GC, should be liberally construed to accomplish the purposes thereof.”

It should also be borne in mind that the purpose of unemployment compensation legislation, which has been adopted by the Legislatures of so many states, is not only to avoid the serious conditions of economic insecurity suffered by the individual, but likewise is part of a plan to assist in the stabilization of unemployment conditions in the interests of the general welfare, and such legislation is entitled to a fair and liberal interpretation not only by virtue of the express direction of the Legislature but also to effect the plain purposes of the legislation itself.

These principles are plainly recognized by the Supreme Court of Ohio in the case of Leonard v. Board of Review, 148 Oh St 419.

In the case of American Bridge Company v. Review Board, et al., (Ind.) 98 N.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
122 N.E.2d 202, 68 Ohio Law. Abs. 260, 1954 Ohio Misc. LEXIS 371, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yobe-v-sherwin-williams-co-ohctcompltrumbu-1954.