Midland Glass Co. v. Smith
Midland Glass Co. v. Smith
Opinion of the Court
The plaintiff, Midland Glass Company, Inc. (Company), brings this action to prohibit the defendants, Edward V. Smith, individually and as President, and C. O. Middleton, individually and as Secretary of the Glass Bottle Blowers Association of the United States and Canada, AFL-CIO (Local 119), from striking on or about April 1st, 1971. The Glass Bottle Blowers Association of the United States and Canada (GBBA), which is not a party here, is the International Union which represents Local 119 as one of its constitutents. Both parties agree that this court may resolve whether or not there exists between the Company and the defendants, Local 119, a specific collective bargaining contract.
The Company has three plants for the production of glass containers at various points in the United States — one at Clifton, New Jersey; one at Terre Haute, Indiana, and one at Shakopee, Minnesota.
On or about October, 1970, Midland Glass did have a labor agreement with Local 119. This contract was effective April 1st, 1968, to April 1st, 1971. At some time on or about August, 1970, the Company did receive a communication from GBBA, in connection with the labor agreement, asking, in substance, that negotiations begin with the largest company in September, 1970.
As a result, a meeting was held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the latter part of October or November, 1970.
At that meeting, representing the Company, were Duncan Morrison; A. E. Resnick; Paul Arvidson; Larry Cochrane; Frank Reid; William Ware;
The Company announced that it had a right to negotiate a contract there. Mr. Harry Moore, the International representative, requested a recess or a caucus, after which Mr. Moore said that a problem had developed about the matter of authority which would have to be referred to the International for resolution. Mr. Burstein then advised that: “We certainly can’t negotiate with a group of conferees who do not have authority to negotiate, and until the GBBA reaffirms the authority of their conferees to negotiate a contract, there is no point in continuing the discussion, and when we do get this word from GBBA with respect to the authority to negotiate, we will be glad to reconvene.” The meeting in Pittsburgh then recessed.
On November 15th, as a result of telephone calls from the Union, the meetings were reinstituted in Chicago, Illinois. Essentially these same persons who attended the meeting in Pittsburgh were present. Amongst all other persons there were the defendants Edward V. Smith and C. 0. Middleton. These defendants took part in the negotiations until such time as November 25th, 1970. The Company needed further time to reassess the demands of the Union and, as a consequence, asked for, and were given, a recess.
On December 4th, the negotiations were resumed in New York City. On December 4th, through and including December 10th, 1970, most of the same persons were present; Mr. Smith was present, as was Mr. Moore, and for GBBA there was also present an additional person, Mr. Francis Heston. Finally, on December 10th, 1970, the GBBA had given to the Company what the GBBA described as its “final proposal”, as the “proposal we would have to meet to come up with the contract”. That proposal was submitted in the presence of the defendants Smith and Middleton and the other conferees. The Company took the contract and caucussed. They came back into the room thereafter and Mr. Robert Ganter, a Company representative, said: “And if we agree to that proposal we will have a contract?”; and Mr. Moore said: “Yes”.
Mr. Moore looked around the table to the various conferees. Mr. Smith and Mr. Middleton were there, and they gave no indication that they were opposed to the contract. Mr. Ganter then said: “Well, we have an agreement. If you sign this signature sheet of the agreement, we have a contract.” Mr. Ganter signed the signature sheet, handed it to Mr. Moore and to Mr. Heston, of GBBA, both of whom also signed the signature sheet. Thereafter, the Terre Haute and Shakopee Locals came up and said: “We want to sign it, too.” Neither Mr. Smith nor Mr. Middleton came to the table to sign the signature sheet.
It is Local 119’s position that prior to the commencement of the negotiations in Pittsburgh the Company knew that Local 119 insisted upon ratifying any agreement reached before that agreement became a contract. Mr. Smith testified that after the negotiations were terminated in Pittsburgh Mr. Burstein told the defendants that the plaintiffs were negotiating with the International Union and that he notified Local 119 that they had no right to ratify any contract reached in terms of the Constitution of the GBBA; that, in any event, they adjourn until Local 119 and GBBA worked out its problems. Mr. Smith further testified that even prior to the Pittsburgh meeting he had talked to a Mr. Arvidson and, as well, to a Mr. Artie Resnik, both Company representatives. On both of those occasions he had told those
On December 16th, Mr. Smith testified that he prepared a letter to the Company, as well as to Mr. Lee W. Minton, International President of GBBA, and a copy of that same letter, as well, to Mr. Moore.
Certain other documents were admitted. One of these documents was a telegram dated October 27th, 1970, which was the last day of the Pittsburgh meeting.
On December 18th, Mr. Minton again wrote, this time to Mr. Smith, indicating that he was “to notify all members of 119 that a contract had been negotiated, accepted and in effect. No voting through use of mass meetings is in accord with conference results. Anyone attempting to utilize meetings for purpose of violating Constitution is not adhering to Con
The argument here is, as we have noted, was there a contract between GBBA and Local 119 which permitted GBBA to negotiate for a collective bargaining agreement? Clearly, it is not required here to determine the facts, because even if the facts are as Local 119 suggests they are, they still cannot change the fact that they were represented by GBBA and GBBA was authorized to negotiate a contract.
The prior contract, which expired on March 31st, 1971, in Article I, Section 1, states as follows:
“The Company recognizes the Union as the sole collective bargaining agent for apprentice machine operators, machine operators, machine upkeep men and machine repair men and all other hourly-rated employees who devote their full time to the repair and maintenance of forming machines, and for all production and maintenance employees of all departments except those employees engaged in supervisory, professional, technical, administrative, office, clerical, guard, and management work, and those employees covered by contracts with other unions.”
It is the view of Local 119 that by telling management and, as well, GBBA —however informally — that it insisted upon the right of l’atification of any negotiated contract, that management was thereby advised that GBBA no longer represented the defendants. This view is, of course, entirely inconsistent with the negotiations which were undertaken in Pittsburgh and continued through Chicago and, finally, until December 10th, 1970, in New York, when the negotiations were completed. The evidence clearly discloses that the defendants— Edward V. Smith and C. 0. Middleton— took part in those negotiations and, again, at the end of the negotiations, insisted upon their right to ratify the contract resulting therefrom.
Furthermore, even assuming Mr. Moore, the International representative who negotiated the contract, did advise Local 119 that no contract would occur until Local 119 ratified it is of no moment. For nowhere in the proofs did the defendants establish that Mr. Moore had any right to modify GBBA’s Constitution, and this is particularly so in view of the evidence that Mr. Minton, the International President of GBBA, had continually directed Local 119 and its representatives to stop tying the conferees hands and to permit the bargaining to go forward.
Whether or not the Company was aware of this dispute between the GBBA and Local 119 is beside the point. The Company had a right to negotiate with the established bargaining agent until such time as that bargaining agent was replaced by another. The National Labor Relations Board has acknowledged the rights of parties engaged in multiparty negotiations to withdraw from bargaining sessions to bargain with a single employer or a single union on behalf of a single unit of employees. However, certain guidelines have been enunciated by the National Labor Relations Board relating to a proper withdrawal from collective bargaining in such circumstances.
In Retail Associates, Inc., and Locals Nos. 128 and 633, Retail Clerks International Association, AFL-CIO (1958) [120 NLRB, 388], the Board states:
“We would accordingly refuse to permit the withdrawal of an employer or a union from a duly established multi-employer bargaining unit, except upon adequate written notice given prior to the date set by the contract*92 for modification, or to the agreed upon date to begin the multi-employer negotiations. Where actual bargaining negotiations based on the existing multi-employer unit have begun, we would not permit, except on mutual consent, an abandonment of the unit upon which each side has committed itself to the other, absent unusual circumstances.”
Here, there is no evidence that the Local, even assuming it did make its views clear to management and to GBBA, ever disposed of GBBA as its negotiating agent. Certainly there was no adequate written notice given prior to the date set by the contract for modification, and, indeed, there is no such writing today.
What Local 119 has attempted to do, really, is to modify their agreement with GBBA to permit them to qualify GBBA’s representation of them by insisting upon ratifying any contract which GBBA negotiates for them. While this could be done, it would have to be done within the Constitution of GBBA. Section 3 of that Constitution provides: “ * * * all conferences shall be under the direction of the International President and International Executive Board * * * ”. Testimony at the trial satisfies this court that the word “conferences” means a collective bargaining negotiation such as is involved here. Having failed to accomplish that, it would seem that Local 119 may withdraw from GBBA by following the proper procedures therefor
It is clear, therefore, that GBBA, then the collective bargaining representative of Local 119, negotiated a contract with the Company, and that that contract now controls the relationship between the Company and Local 119.
An appropriate Order will be submitted.
. Plaintiff’s Exhibit, P-2, in evidence.
. Plaintiff’s Exhibit, P-3, in evidence.
. There were other people present at the conference, representing Local 132, Terre Haute, and Local 129, Shakopee.
. Defendants’ Exhibit, D-3, in evidence.
. Plaintiff’s Exhibit, P-11, in evidence.
. Defendants' Exhibit, D-2, in evidence. Mr. Moore, who was at the meeting in Pittsburgli, apparently addressed that letter from Pittsburgh.
. Plaintiff’s Exhibit, P-12, in evidence.
. Defendants’ Exhibit, D-6, in evidence.
. Plaintiff’s Exhibit, P-8, in evidence.
. Plaintiff’s Exhibit, P-9, in evidence.
. See 29 U.S.C. § 159 for tlie method of replacing either a designated or selected collective bargaining representative.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- MIDLAND GLASS COMPANY, Inc. v. Edward V. SMITH, individually, and as President
- Status
- Published