Incres Steamship Company v. International Maritime Workers Union

• Decision Date: 18 February 1963
• Docket Number: No. 33,33
• Citation: 372 U.S. 24,9 L.Ed.2d 557,83 S.Ct. 611
• Parties: INCRES STEAMSHIP COMPANY, Ltd., Petitioner, v. INTERNATIONAL MARITIME WORKERS UNION and Shannon J. Wall et al
• Court: U.S. Supreme Court

372 U.S. 24

83 S.Ct. 611

9 L.Ed.2d 557

INCRES STEAMSHIP COMPANY, Ltd., Petitioner,

v INTERNATIONAL MARITIME WORKERS UNION and Shannon J. Wall et al.

No. 33.

Argued Dec. 12, 1962.

Decided Feb. 18, 1963.

Breck P. McAllister, New York City, for petitioner.

H. Howard Ostrin, New York City, for respondents.

Mr. Justice CLARK delivered the opinion of the Court.

The basic issue in this case, the application of the National Labor Relations Act, as amended, 61 Stat. 136, 73 Stat. 541, 29 U.S.C. § 151 et seq., is decided this day in McCulloch v. Sociedad Nacional, 372 U.S. 10, 83 S.Ct. 671. In view of factual differences and procedural dissimilarity from that case, however, we find it appropriate to write briefly.

The petitioner, Incres Steamship Company, Ltd., is a Liberian corporation which is wholly owned by Italian nationals. It operates two Liberian-registered passenger ships, the Nassau and the Victoria, which make regularly scheduled cruises between New York City and various Caribbean ports for seven months each year. In addition, annual cruises are made to Italy, where the vessels undergo repairs and the crews take their leaves. The crews of both vessels are nonresident aliens, most of whom are Italians, and they are recruited and hired in Italy, where they sign Liberian articles.

Incres maintains its principal office in London, and it has no place of business in Liberia. It shares an office in New York City with Incres Line Agency, Inc., a New York corporation which is controlled by Incres and acts as agent for its cruise business. The president of Incres, an Italian national, who is a part-time New York resident, is also an unpaid officer and director of Incres Line Agency. He conducts business of Incres from the Incres Line Agency office when he is in New York.

The respondent, International Maritime Workers Union, is an American labor organization formed by two other American unions for the primary purpose of organiz- ing foreign seamen on foreignflag ships. In February of 1960 it began a campaign to organize the seamen on Incres' vessels. On May 13, 1960, as part of this campaign, IMWU began picketing at the pier where the Nassau was docked. Two days later the Victoria, while anchored offshore, was picketed by IMWU representatives in a launch. The IMWU representatives persuaded some crew members of the Nassau not to perform their duties, and longshoremen and tugboat crews were temporarily persuaded to refrain from servicing both vessels. As a result of this activity, several cruises were canceled.

On May 16, 1960, Incres brought this action for damages and injunctive relief against IMWU. On the same day IMWU filed unfair labor practice charges against Incres, on which the National Labor Relations Board has conducted an investigation but has not rendered a decision. The Supreme Court of New York County granted a temporary and, after trial, a permanent injunction enjoining the union from picketing Incres' vessels or from encouraging crew members to refrain from working on those vessels. The Appellate Division affirmed. 11 A.D.2d 177, 202 N.Y.S.2d 692. The New York Court of Appeals, by a divided court, reversed. 10 N.Y.2d 218, 219 N.Y.S.2d 21, 176 N.E.2d 719. Applying our decision in San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon, 359 U.S. 236, 79 S.Ct. 773, 3 L.Ed.2d 775 (1959), it held that the state courts had no jurisdiction until the Board refused to act in the dispute, since it was 'surely arguable' that the Board would exercise jurisdiction under the contacts theory as applied in West India Fruit & Steamship Co., 130 N.L.R.B. 343 (1961), and other Board decisions. We granted certiorari, 368 U.S. 924, 82 S.Ct. 367, 7 L.Ed.2d 189, and the case was argued with McCulloch v. Sociedad Nacional, supra, and its companion cases.

We held today in Sociedad Nacional that the Act does not apply to foreign-registered ships employing alien sea- men. The holding and reasoning in that case are equally applicable to the maritime operations here, leading to the conclusion that the Act does not apply. It is true that our decision in Garmon, supra, as applied in Marine Engineers Beneficial Assn. v. Interlake S.S. Co., 370 U.S. 173, 82 S.Ct. 1237, 8...