Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. St. Louis Southwestern Railway Co.
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. St. Louis Southwestern Railway Co.
Opinion of the Court
Appellant challenges the District Court’s affirmance of rulings of Arbitration Board 282 that the local Special Board was not required to conduct its proceedings under Sections 7 and 8 of the Railway Labor Act and that the Special Board did not err in basing its award in part on awards made by other Special Boards and on an agreement with respect to “crew consist” made on another railroad.
Appellant contends that the Special Board was required to prepare at its expense a transcript of its proceedings and could not merely permit any party who desired a transcript to prepare one. The claim arises in a somewhat different posture than in Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pac. R. R. Co., No. 19,867, May 19, 1967, 127 U.S.App.D.C. -, 380 F.2d 605; in the instant case the Brotherhood participated in the hearings and made objections to the Special Board’s ruling that it was not required to provide a transcript.
To the extent that the Brotherhood’s claim is that the Award of Arbitration Board 282 directed the local Special Boards to prepare transcripts, it falls because of the limited scope of judicial review as to Board 282’s ruling that it did not intend such a requirement in its Award. Railway Labor Act, § 9, 45 U. S.C. § 159 (1964). The Brotherhood’s main contention is that the Joint Resolution
We find no basis for disturbing the District Court’s refusal to impeach the ruling of Arbitration Board 282 that the local Special Board could base its decision in part on awards of other local Special Boards and on an agreement on another railroad. Railway Labor Act, § 9.
Affirmed.
. Public Law 88-108, 77 Stat. 132 (1963).
. Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R.R. Co., 225 F.Supp. 11 (D.D.C.), aff’d, 118 U.S.App.D.C. 100, 331 F.2d 1020, cert. denied, 377 U.S. 918, 84 S.Ct. 1181, 12 L.Ed.2d 187 (1964).
. Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pac. R.R. Co., No. 19,867, May 19, 1967, 127 U.S. App.D.C. -, 380 F.2d 605. Judge Wright’s disssent suggests that this issue is not resolved by principles of res judi-cata because this court remanded the issue to Arbitration Board 282 for its view after the Award had been upheld in the impeachment action. The remand would have been a meaningless gesture, he contends, if the issue was no longer open. Although the opinion is not clear on this point, it would seem that the remand was for the purpose of having Board 282 pass on the terms of its Award, rather than on the requirements of the Joint Resolution. The Board seems to have understood that to be its function, for its answer to the Brotherhood’s question was that “the special boards of adjustment provided for in * * * Award 282 are not required by the terms of the Award to adhere to procedures prescribed in either Section 7 or Section 8 of the Railway Labor Act.” Even assuming the remand was directed at the requirements of the Joint Resolution, this would merely indicate our action was mistaken; it could not change the finality of the earlier impeachment decision.
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting):
Public Law 88-108
Proceeding pursuant to the mandatory provisions of Sections 7 and 8 of the Railway-Labor Act,
There is, of course, no provision in the Act for creation of local boards, but this action on the part of the national Board has been approved by this court.
Appellees admit that the proceedings before the local boards in these cases have not been conducted pursuant to Sections 7 and 8 of the Railway Labor Act, and the union is here complaining of the local boards’ failure so to proceed. Since Congress, in requiring the union to submit to compulsory arbitration, deemed the Sections 7 and 8 safeguards necessary for proceedings before the national Board,, it is inconceivable to me that the national Board may legally delegate its authority to local boards without such safeguards.
I respectfully dissent.
. 77 Stat. 132 (1963), 45 U.S.C. § 157 note (1964).
. 45 U.S.C. §§ 157-158 (1964).
. See Brotherhood of Loc. Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. Co., D.D.C., 225 F.Supp. 11, affirmed, 118 U.S.App.D.C. 100, 831 F.2d 1020, cert. denied, 377 U.S. 918, 84 S.Ct. 1181, 12 L.Ed.2d 187 (1964).
. The majority’s ruling that this issue is precluded by res judicata because of our decision in Brotherhood of Loc. Firemen & Enginemen v. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. Co., supra Note 3, is difficult to understand. When this ease was last before this court, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Certain Carriers, etc., 121 U.S.App.D.C. 230, 349 F.2d 207 (1965), the res judicata argument was thoroughly explored in the briefs of these same parties. This court at that time remanded the Sections 7 and 8 safeguards issue to the Board. 121 U.S.App.D.C. at 233, 349 F.2d at 210. I cannot believe this court intended the Board and these parties to waste their time debating an issue the majority now decides has been closed to debate since 1964.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- BROTHERHOOD OF RAILROAD TRAINMEN v. ST. LOUIS SOUTHWESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY and Ralph T. Seward, Appellees BROTHERHOOD OF RAILROAD TRAINMEN v. ST. LOUIS SOUTHWESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY
- Cited By
- 6 cases
- Status
- Published