CLARENCE L. DAVIS, JR., AND WILFRED HARRIS, APPELLANTS,
v.
WALTER TURNER, C. C. POWELL, JOE CARBONARO, JOSEPH V. MORESCHI, AND PAUL L. JONES, APPELLEES

9th Cir. | 1968-05-21
No. 21566
395 F.2d 671 United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (1968) Caution
Cited by 10 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.


Holding

The court held that the union members' asserted rights were protected by Title IV of the Act, not Title I, and that the exclusive remedy for challenging an election already conducted is through the Secretary of Labor.


Facts & Procedural History

Union members challenged an election delegate's eligibility, leading to his removal from the ballot. Pending an internal union appeal, a suit was file…

The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.


Opinion of the Court
MERRILL, Circuit Judge:

MERRILL, Circuit Judge:

Appellant Clarence L. Davis, Jr. is a member of Laborers’ Local Union 304. In January, 1966, he was admitted to practice law in the State of California and has since been actively engaged in the practice of his profession in Oakland, California. On June 23, 1966, he was nominated by appellant Wilfred Harris as a delegate to the convention of the Laborers’ International Union to be held in St. Louis, Missouri, in October, 1966. His qualification to serve as a delegate was challenged by a union member on the ground that he was not then working at the calling of the union, as required by its by-laws. The union sustained this challenge and his name was removed from the ballot. He appealed the decision to the International Union and, pending that appeal, this suit was brought to invalidate the election and have a new election called. Appellants claim that their civil rights as union members guaranteed under Title I of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, 29 U.S.C. § 411 et seq., had been violated and that the District Court had jurisdiction to entertain their individual suit for redress under 29 U.S.C. § 412. Summary judgment in favor of appellees was granted by the District Court on the ground, among others, that it was without jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

We agree. The rights asserted by appellants are those protected not by Title I, but by Title IV of the Act, 29 U.S.C. § 481 et seq., as to which the exclusive method of enforcement is through complaint filed with the Secretary of Labor who, if he finds violation of the statutory provisions, may file suit in the appropriate district court to secure a new election to be held under his supervision. 29 U.S.C. § 482(a) and (b); Calhoon v. Harvey, 379 U.S. 134, 85 S.Ct. 292, 13 L.Ed.2d 190 (1964).

Further, even were we to find appellants’ contentions to be a valid subject for an individual union member’s suit under Title I, their suit would have been aborted when the election they challenge was conducted. Colpo v. Highway Truck Drivers & Helpers Local 107, 305 F. 2d 362 (3d Cir.), cert. denied, 371 U.S. 890, 83 S.Ct. 188, 9 L.Ed.2d 123 (1962). No individual suit to set aside a union election may be maintained, for § 403 of the Act, 29 U.S.C. § 483, provides that the Secretary of Labor’s action is the exclusive remedy “for challenging an election already conducted.” See Note, 78 Harv.L.Rev. 1617 (1965); Note, 74 Yale L.J. 1282 (1965).1

Judgment affirmed.

. Because of this statutory mandate ousting the District Court of jurisdiction, we need not consider the question raised by appellees as to the effect of the holding of the convention to which the election of delegates related. In a suit by the Secretary of Labor, of statutory necessity brought after a union election has been conducted, this question will be relevant. Cf. Wirtz v. Local 153, Glass Bottle Blowers Ass’n, 389 U.S. 463, 88 S.Ct. 643, 19 L.Ed.2d 705 (1968). But see Mills v. Green, 159 U.S. 651, 16 S.Ct. 132, 40 L.Ed. 293 (1895).


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By

Previewing 3 of 5 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw