Carroll v. Associated Musicians of Greater New York
| Citation | 206 F. Supp. 462 |
| Parties | Joseph CARROLL, Charles Peterson and Charles Turecamo, as Treasurer, Orchestra Leaders of Greater New York, Plaintiffs, v. ASSOCIATED MUSICIANS OF GREATER NEW YORK and Al Manuti, as President, Max L. Arons, as Secretary, and Hi Jaffe as Treasurer of Local 802, Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Defendants. Joseph CARROLL, Charles Peterson and Charles Turecamo, as Treasurer, Orchestra Leaders of Greater New York, Plaintiffs, v. AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS OF THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, Herman D. Kenin, as President of said Federation, Stanley Ballard, as Secretary of said Federation, and George V. Clancy, as Treasurer of said Federation, Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802, and Al Manuti, as President of Local 802, Max L. Arons, as Secretary of Local 802, and Hi Jaffe, as Treasurer of Local 802, Defendants. |
| Decision Date | 25 June 1962 |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Southern District of New York |
COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED
Godfrey P. Schmidt, New York City, for plaintiffs.
McGoldrick, Dannett, Horowitz & Golub, New York City, for defendants. Emanuel Dannett, Herbert D. Schwartzman, New York City, of counsel.
Ashe & Rifkin, New York City, for defendant Local 802. David I. Ashe, New York City, of counsel.
Two civil actions for permanent injunctions are involved herein. Two other actions involving alleged violations of the anti-trust laws will be tried subsequently. The first action here, 60 Civil 1169, is an action to enjoin defendants from collecting from plaintiffs payments for the "Local 802 Single Engagement Welfare Plan," and the second, 60 Civil 4025, is an action to enjoin defendants from the collection of certain payments, to wit, a 1½% Local Tax and a 10% Traveling Surcharge, on the ground that all these exactions or impositions are allegedly forbidden by Section 302 of the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, 29 U.S.C.A. § 186, as amended. Jurisdiction is alleged to arise under Section 302(e) of the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947, 29 U.S.C.A. § 186(e), and Title I of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, 29 U.S.C.A. § 401 et seq.
In addition, in both actions plaintiffs seek to permanently enjoin defendants from reprisals or interferences with plaintiffs' business based on the fact that these actions and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board have been instituted; plaintiffs also seek reasonable counsel fees.
The proposed findings of fact, conclusions of law and briefs of the parties having been received, the court, after considering the pleadings, evidence, exhibits, briefs and stipulations of the parties, now makes and files herein its Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law, separately stated.
1. Plaintiffs Joseph Carroll and Charles Peterson, at all times relevant herein, were and are orchestra leaders engaged in the so-called "single engagement" field (Carroll, 258; Peterson, 347, 349-352) and at the commencement of these actions were members of defendants American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada ("Federation") and Associated Musicians of Greater New York, Local 802 ("Local 802"). Neither Carroll nor Peterson is presently a member of defendant unions. (Peterson, 347-348; Carroll, 259).
2. Although plaintiff Orchestra Leaders of Greater New York ("OLGNY") is alleged to be an informal unincorporated association comprising at least 50 members of a class allegedly represented by plaintiffs Carroll and Peterson, I find that there is a lack of evidence establishing that OLGNY is an association representing orchestra leaders, that it is presently in existence, that it has any members other than Carroll and Peterson, that it has in any way been damaged or aggrieved by any conduct of defendant unions or that it has any interest in these actions.
3. The plaintiffs purport to bring these actions "for themselves and for all of the members (so numerous as to make it impracticable to bring them all before the court) of Local 802 who are similarly situated. * * *" (See Complaint, 60 Civil 1169, par. 20; Complaint, 60 Civil 4025, par. 18).
I find that there is a lack of credible evidence that such class exists, and even if found to exist, that its members are "so numerous as to make it impracticable to bring them all before the court," or that the plaintiffs here fairly insure adequate representation of such class.
4. Defendant Local 802 is a labor union affiliated with the defendant Federation and with the AFL-CIO. Local 802 represents, among others, members who are leaders and sidemena in the single engagement field. (Pl. Ex. 56, p. 110) Under Federation By-Laws, the territorial jurisdiction of defendant Local 802 consists of the five boroughs of New York City and Nassau and Suffolk Counties (Pl. Ex. 12, Section 6, p. 5; Cutler, 80-81; Arons, 453).
5. Defendants Al Manuti, Max L. Arons and Hi Jaffe are President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively of defendant Local 802.
6. Membership in a local affiliated with Federation implies membership in the Federation (Pl. Ex. 29, Sections 10 and 11, p. 34; Arons, 430).
7. Defendant Federation is a labor union affiliated with the AFL-CIO and it is comprised of 683 local unions, including defendant Local 802, located throughout the United States and Canada. (Ballard, 665, 667).
8. Defendants Herman D. Kenin, Stanley Ballard and George V. Clancy are President, Secretary and Treasurer respectively of the defendant Federation.
9. A single engagement is defined in the By-Laws of defendant Local 802 (Pl. Ex. 29, Art. X, p. 63) and is a musical performance generally for one night but always for less than one week, including, but not limited to, such types of functions as weddings, commencements, debutante parties, fashion shows, sports events, college or high-school dances or other social events. (Cutler, 69, 242-243; Arons, 438, 457; Pl. Ex. 53, p. 39).
10. In the single engagement field, defendant Local 802, as a matter of policy, does not bargain collectively with member orchestra leaders. (Pl. Ex. 53, pp. 45, 68; Pl. Ex. 56, p. 110; see also Jaffe, 581-582).
11. A substantial number of Local 802 members serve as leaders each year. Of these members who serve as leaders, the large majority also act as sidemen on other occasions during the same year. Local 802 provides an "Exchange Floor" to aid members in securing single engagements. Members of Local 802 who are engaged by purchasers of music to act as leaders use the facilities of the "Floor" to select sidemen, and member sidemen likewise utilize these facilities to secure jobs with leaders. Frequently, members of Local 802 will exchange engagements so that a member engaged as a leader for one engagement becomes the sideman for the same musician whom he engaged as a sideman for the prior engagement. .
12. Plaintiffs Carroll and Peterson fulfill engagements outside of the State of New York in which they usually operate and in which their principal offices are located. (Pl. Ex. 19, 21, 40, 41; Cutler, 154-155, 185; Carroll, 265-268; Peterson, 349-353, 383-387, 397-399).
13. Travel by orchestras in the single engagement field composed of members of defendant unions is contemplated by defendant unions and regulated by them in various ways. Thus, among others, Section 2 of Article 17 of the By-Laws of the Federation (Pl. Ex. 11, p. 114) provides:
"If the Local Union in whose jurisdiction an engagement is to be played has a Local law requiring its members to file a written contract with the Local prior to each engagement, the traveling member or the traveling leader must so file such contract with such Local Union."
Section 13 of Article 15 (Pl. Ex. 11, p. 104) provides:
"An orchestra playing miscellaneous out-of-town engagements i. e., single engagements involving travel in the jurisdiction of a Local which maintains a higher price than their own Local, must charge the price of the Local in whose jurisdiction they are playing, plus 10% of the price of the Local wherein playing."
Section 14 of Article 16 (Pl. Ex. 11, p. 109) provides:
"For all traveling engagements the employer is required to at all times make payment for services in money of the country from which the engagement emanates, unless an amount in excess of the stipulated salary sufficient to cover the rate of exchange is paid."
Similarly, Rule 4 of defendant Local 802's Price List (Pl. Ex. 7, p. 23) in pertinent part provides:
In short, defendants' own publications and practices, such as their 10% Traveling Surcharge, their rules and regulations pertaining to traveling members, their mileage charges, their regulations pertaining to steamship performances, etc., demonstrate that defendant unions represent members (both leaders and sidemen) in the single engagement field whose engagements require a constant continuous stream of trade and commerce between the States of the United States. .
14. Defendant unions require their members to use a form of contract known as the "Form B" contract, which contract designates the purchaser of music as the "employer" and the musicians, including the leader, as "employees." (Pl. Ex. 13; Ballard, 695-696, 698; Cutler, 136; Arons, 471) The Form B contract or, at least, the details of such contract must be filed with Local 802 by member orchestra...
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