Law Commons^™

Reflections On The Nature Of Labor Arbitration, R. W. Fleming

Michigan Law Review

The use of arbitration as a means of settling labor-management disputes has increased steadily in the past twenty years. Recent decisions of the Supreme Court have underlined the importance of the process. The natural tendency is to compare labor arbitration with the court system as an adjudicatory process. There are, however, significant differences between the two, and this needs to be better understood.

An intelligent evaluation of the differences, and of the labor arbitration tribunal in general, can be made only after an exploration of its origin and history, and after some consideration of the kinds of cases which are …

The National Labor Relations Act And Collective Bargaining, Nathan P. Feinsinger

Michigan Law Review

The purpose of this paper has been to review the policy-making decisions of the National Labor Relations Board in seeking to effectuate the duty "to bargain collectively" under the National Labor Relations Act, in order to ascertain and appraise their direction.

Labor Law - Collective Bargaining - Jurisdiction Of District Court To Vacate An "Unlawful" Order Of The Nlrb, Stephen B. Flood

Michigan Law Review

Respondent, representing a labor organization, petitioned the National Labor Relations Board for certification as the exclusive bargaining agent of a group of professional employees pursuant to section 9 of the amended National Labor Relations Act. After a hearing the Board ordered that nine non-professional employees be included in the bargaining unit. Section 9(b) (1) expressly prohibits the inclusion of non-professional employees in a professional unit unless a majority of the professional members vote for inclusion in such unit. The Board refused to take a vote among the professional employees, and proceeded directly to order an election to determine if respondent's …

Labor Law - Lmra - Injunctive Relief For Breach Of No-Strike Agreement, Mark Shaevsky

Michigan Law Review

The collective bargaining agreement between the employer and union contained a no-strike provision. While the contract remained in effect, the union sought wage renegotiations. The discussions were unsuccessful and the union called a strike. Claiming a breach of the no-strike clause, the employer requested an injunction against continuance of the peaceful strike. The district court held that under section 301 of the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947, which provides that "Suits for violation of contracts between an employer and a labor organization . . . may be brought in any district court ... ," it had authority to enjoin the …

Labor Law - Collective Bargaining - Right Of Power Of Municipalities To Engage In Collective Bargaining, Allen C. Dewey S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, Weakley County Municipal Electric System, sought to enjoin defendant union members and unions from continuing alleged picketing, intimidation of non-strikers and other acts incidental to a strike. Defendants had gone on strike to compel plaintiffs to recognize Local Union 835, IBEW, as the bargaining agent of plaintiffs' employees and to sign a contract with the union. The chancellor granted a permanent injunction on the ground that the strike was illegal and against public policy, as a municipality has no right or power to bargain collectively. On appeal to the Tennessee Court of Appeals, held, affirmed. Even though the …

Labor Law - Collective Bargaining - Duty Of Employer To Furnish Information Relating To Ability To Pay, William H. Leighner S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

A regional negotiating committee of the International Woodworkers of America, AFL-CIO, sent questionnaires to some six hundred employers with whom it had bargaining relations. The committee desired information to assist in measuring wage demands for bargaining with employers in the Pacific northwest lumber and plywood industries. The information requested related to each employee, his job classification, hourly rates, seniority rights, paid holidays, vacations, and annual hours. The employers were also requested to furnish figures showing the annual board-foot production of their respective operations and related sales totals expressed in dollars. The employers declined to provide the data despite repeated requests …

Labor Law - Collective Bargaining - Duty Of Employer To Allow Union Time Study, Paul A. Heinen S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

A dispute arose between the employer and the union as to whether certain duties performed by an employee should be classified as "special assignments" as defined in the labor contract. If these duties were "special assignments" the employee was entitled to a higher job classification. Before arrangements could be made for the third step of the grievance procedure the union asked for permission to enter the plant and analyze the job. Permission was denied by the management and the union filed a charge of unlawful refusal to bargain. The trial examiner found that by refusing the union's request the employer …

Labor Law - Collective Bargaining - Unprotected Activities Of Union As Violation Of Duty To Bargain In Good Faith, Hazen V. Hatch S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

During negotiations for a new contract, the union engaged in harassing action against the employer by promoting an organized refusal to work overtime, extending rest periods without authorization, directing employees to refuse to work special hours, encouraging slow-downs and unannounced walkouts, and inducing employees of a subcontractor not to work for their employer. There was no specific demand which the activity was designed to enforce. The National Labor Relations Board found that this activity was evidence of a failure on the part of the union to bargain in good faith, and was, therefore, a violation of section 8 (b) (3) …

Labor Law - Lmra - Duty Of Certified Union To Represent Bargaining Unit Fairly, Edward W. Powers S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Local N, composed entirely of Negroes, and Local W, composed entirely of whites, and both affiliated with the same international union, had been certified by the National Labor Relations Board as the joint bargaining representatives for the bargaining unit. Subsequent to this certification, the two locals allegedly agreed between themselves that they would be represented by one bargaining committee elected by a majority vote of the unit, and that there would be but one line of seniority in any agreement negotiated by this committee. The committee which was elected consisted solely of members of Local W. It …

Labor Law - Collective Bargaining - Enforceability Of Collective Agreements Under Section 301(A), Douglas Peck S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff, an unincorporated labor organization, filed suit in federal district court to enforce a collective bargaining agreement with defendant. The complaint alleged that defendant was obligated by the agreement to pay employees represented by the plaintiff their full salary for the month of April 1951 regardless of the fact that they had been absent on certain working days. The suit was brought under section 301 (a) of the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947.On appeal from a court of appeals decision directing dismissal for lack of jurisdiction, held, affirmed, two justices dissenting. An action by a labor organization to enforce …

Labor Law - Labor-Management Relations Act - Right Of Union To Sue On Collective Agreement Under Section 301, Robert C. Fox S.Ed.

Michigan Law Review

Plaintiff union brought suit in a federal district court under section 301 of the LMRA alleging that defendant employer had breached the collective agreement between them by failing to· pay some four thousand employees covered by the agreement for a day on which they did not work. Section 301(a) permits suits for violation of contracts between an employer and a union without respect to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties. Plaintiff sought a declaratory judgment as to the rights of the parties under the agreement, an accounting to determine the amounts of the wages withheld, and …

The Voluntary Arbitration Of Labor Disputes, George W. Taylor

Michigan Law Review

Diverse conceptions about the relationship between collective bargaining and arbitration are at the root of some important current problems about the use of voluntary arbitration to resolve labor disputes. Should voluntary arbitration be considered, in any degree, as an extension of collective bargaining, or should it be basically conceived as an alternative to collective bargaining? In other words, does any part of the criterion of mutual acceptability-the very essence of collective bargaining-carry over when arbitration is invoked, or does "arbitration" connote a process through which employment terms are imposed upon the parties without any regard to the acceptability factor. There …

The Voluntary Arbitration Of Labor Disputes, George W. Taylor

Michigan Law Review

Diverse conceptions about the relationship between collective bargaining and arbitration are at the root of some important current problems about the use of voluntary arbitration to resolve labor disputes. Should voluntary arbitration be considered, in any degree, as an extension of collective bargaining, or should it be basically conceived as an alternative to collective bargaining? In other words, does any part of the criterion of mutual acceptability-the very essence of collective bargaining-carry over when arbitration is invoked, or does "arbitration" connote a process through which employment terms are imposed upon the parties without any regard to the acceptability factor. There …

Labor Law-Power Of National Labor Relations Board To Order Disestablishment Of Company Union, Wayne E. Babler

Michigan Law Review

In two recent Supreme Court cases, National Labor Relations Board v. Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines, lnc., and National Labor Relations Board v. Pacific Greyhound Lines, lnc., it was held that the Board had the power under section 10 (c) to order an employer, who had created, fostered and dominated a labor organization of its employees, to withdraw recognition from such organization of its employees, to withdraw recognition from such organization as representative of the employees and to post notices that it was "so disestablished." In so doing the Court reversed the respective circuit courts which had held the Board was …

Comparison Of Some Methods Of Conciliation And Arbitration Of Industrial Disputes, James H. Brewster

Michigan Law Review

In these times when we see combinations of employers co-operating under trade agreements with combinations of employees to conduct immense industries, we are apt to forget the remarkable development of ideas concerning industrial economy that has occurred within a life-time. It was only eighty years ago that the merchants of Boston met to discountenance and check what were then" regarded as unlawful combinations of workmen formed to protest against the long work day, low wages, and oppressive rules of their masters. The sum of $20,0oo was raised at this meeting of merchants and ship owners to fight the movement for …