Stricker v. Swift Bros. Const. Co.

• Court: South Dakota Supreme Court
• Writing for the Court: DUNN; WOLLMAN; WOLLMAN
• Citation: Stricker v. Swift Bros. Const. Co., 260 N.W.2d 500 (S.D. 1977)
• Decision Date: 14 December 1977
• Docket Number: No. 11799,11799
• Parties: 97 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2367, 83 Lab.Cas. P 10,494 Dale STRICKER, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. SWIFT BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, a corporation, Carpenters Local Union# 783, and Max Adler, Defendants and Respondents.

Page 500

260 N.W.2d 500

97 L.R.R.M. (BNA) 2367, 83 Lab.Cas. P

10,494

Dale STRICKER, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. SWIFT BROTHERS CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, a corporation Carpenters Local Union# 783, and Max Adler Defendants and Respondents.

No. 11799.

Supreme Court of South Dakota.

Argued Sept. 14, 1976.

Decided Dec. 14, 1977.

J. B. Lammers, of Lammers, Lammers & Kleibacker, Madison, for plaintiff and appellant.

James R. Becker, of May, Johnson & Burke, Sioux Falls, for defendant and respondent Swift Brothers Const. Co.

Robert L. O'Conner, Sioux Falls, Harry H. Smith, of Smith & Smith, Sioux City, Iowa, for defendant and respondent Carpenters Local Union # 783 and Max Adler.

DUNN, Chief Justice (on reassignment).

Plaintiff, a nonunion carpenter, brought this action against his former employer, Swift Brothers Construction Company (Swift Brothers), Carpenters Local Union # 783 (the union), and Max Adler, the union's business representative, seeking damages for the termination of his employment status with Swift Brothers. His complaint alleged that defendants had, either jointly or severally, caused the termination of his employment because of his nonunion status, contrary to the provisions of SDCL 60-8, the right-to-work law. The complaint also alleged that the defendants had acted in an oppressive or malicious manner in tortiously and unlawfully interfering with his employment contract with Swift Brothers. The complaint prayed for general damages in the amount of $30,000 and for punitive damages in the amount of $50,000. After interrogatories had been served and answered and the depositions of plaintiff, Adler and Robert Swift, the president of Swift Brothers, taken, defendants moved for summary judgment. The trial court stated in its memorandum opinion that the wrongful act complained of by plaintiff fell within the orbit of § 8(a)(3) and § 8(b)(2) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 158(a) (3) and (b)(2), and that the state court was without jurisdiction to consider plaintiff's claim because the claim was preempted under federal law. Accordingly, the trial court granted defendants' motions for summary judgment and entered judgment dismissing plaintiff's complaint for lack of jurisdiction. We affirm.

As established by the pleadings, affidavits, interrogatories and depositions, the pertinent factual background is as follows.

Plaintiff is an experienced construction worker and carpenter. Late in February of 1974, he spoke with Robert Swift about securing employment with Swift Brothers. He was instructed to contact Swift Brothers' construction foreman on the construction project Swift Brothers was undertaking for Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company at Brookings, South Dakota. Plaintiff did so, and, on February 25, 1974, plaintiff started working for Swift Brothers at the Brookings project. Plaintiff had been told by Mr. Swift that he would receive scale wages of something over $7 per hour on the Brookings job. When plaintiff received his paycheck at the end of the first week he discovered that he was being paid at the rate of $5.50 per hour. Plaintiff spoke with the job foreman, who advised him to call Mr. Swift. Plaintiff called Mr. Swift and was told that because plaintiff had been receiving $5.50 per hour from his prior employer Mr. Swift thought that plaintiff would be satisfied if Swift Brothers paid him at the same rate until, in plaintiff's version of the conversation, " * * * they got this agreement taken care of with the union, and when this agreement with the union was taken care of, then I would get the seven dollar some cents, whatever it was." When plaintiff replied that perhaps he should quit and go back home to work at $5.50 per hour, Mr. Swift responded by telling him that he was sure that the agreement with the union would be worked out by the following Friday. Plaintiff agreed to stay on the job and returned to work the following week. Upon receiving his weekly paycheck the following Friday, plaintiff was told by the job superintendent that an agreement with the union had been finally signed that day and that he would have to lay plaintiff off. He advised plaintiff to go down to Sioux Falls and talk to Mr. Adler. Early the following week plaintiff went to union headquarters in Sioux Falls and spoke with Adler, who said that he knew nothing about plaintiff's situation. Plaintiff then asked Adler whether he could keep his job in Brookings if he joined the union. Adler replied that plaintiff could join the union if he wanted to but that he would have to have his name put on the list and would be called for work only when the list got down to plaintiff's name. Plaintiff responded by saying that if he had to join the union to get his job but couldn't even keep the job by joining the union he would have to find work elsewhere. Plaintiff called Ray Swift later that day and told him that Adler had said that he could do nothing about plaintiff's job status. Mr. Swift responded with a derogatory comment about Adler's veracity and advised plaintiff that if he joined the union Swift Brothers could pick his name off the list and put him back on the job. Plaintiff heard nothing further from Mr. Swift and secured employment with one of his former employers within a week or so.

The deposition testimony of Robert Swift reveals that at the time plaintiff was hired, Swift Brothers was in the process of negotiating an agreement with the union. Prior to February 25, 1974, Robert Swift mentioned to Adler that Swift Brothers was contemplating hiring plaintiff, to which Adler responded by stating that when the agreement was finalized the union would want to have plaintiff's employment put on a referral basis. Mr. Swift also told Adler early during negotiations that the company had four people on the job whom the company wanted to retain including one Max Doren, a nonunion carpenter. Adler voiced no objection to Doren's employment, nor, apparently, to that of the other three, possibly, in Robert Swift's opinion, because Doren had been hired before the start of negotiations.

A meeting was held on or about March 7, 1974, for the purpose of finalizing an agreement between Swift Brothers and the union on the Brookings project. Present at the meeting were Robert and Ray Swift and Adler and two other union officials. At one point during the meeting Adler asked who was employed on the Brookings job. In Robert Swift's words,

"(W)e mentioned the name of Mr. Stricker. Max slammed his books together and said, we can't reach any agreement with that, and I said, now, just a minute, Max, no need of getting excited. Let's talk this thing over. If we can get Mr. Stricker to appear in your office and be referred to the job, there's no need of getting this matter breaking down our negotiations on this agreement, and it was our understanding that he would entertain Mr. Stricker in his office and this matter would be resolved."

Although Robert Swift denied advising his job superintendent to terminate plaintiff's employment subsequent to the meeting, he acknowledged that he had told him that in order to get the project agreement resolved it would be a good idea to send plaintiff to Adler's office for referral to the job and that that would probably avoid a lot of difficulties. He also acknowledged that after the notebook-slamming incident he and Adler had reached an agreement that Swift Brothers was to contact plaintiff and send him down to see Adler. It was on the basis of that oral agreement that the project agreement was signed. ^* Further, Robert Swift acknowledged that he felt that he was under some pressure from Adler to lay plaintiff off and to refer him to the union in order to get the project agreement signed. He testified that the company was satisfied with plaintiff's job performance and "would have liked to have had him back."

Adler testified that he refers nonunion as well as union carpenters and that he gives no preference to his union people in referrals, although he acknowledged that he had referred no nonunion carpenters to the Brookings job. In response to a question concerning the manner in which he classifies nonunion carpenters with union carpenters, Adler testified:

"The man would take the test and if he could pass that test and still tell me he doesn't want to belong to the union, I would have to say, Mister, you're qualified and I'll put you down and when your name comes up I'll send you out."

At no time did he testify, however, that he had informed plaintiff that his name would be placed on the list at his request notwithstanding his nonunion status.

Defendants contend that even if plaintiff's discharge was based upon his nonunion status, such discharge was at most an unfair labor practice under the provisions of the National Labor Relations Act and thus cognizable only by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). With respect to this argument we note that the record supports, and plaintiff does not challenge, defendants' claim that Swift Brothers is subject to the jurisdiction of the NLRB. Plaintiff, on the other hand, contends that the state court has jurisdiction to hear this action under the exception to the preemption doctrine arising from the authority given to the states by § 14(b) of the National Labor Relations Act, 29 U.S.C.A. § 164(b), to prohibit the execution or application of any agreement requiring membership in a labor organization as a condition of employment.

29 U.S.C.A. § 158(a) provides in part:

"(a) It shall be an unfair labor practice for an employer

(1) to interfere with, restrain, or coerce employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in section 157 of this title;

(3) by discrimination in regard to hire or tenure of employment or any term or condition of employment to encourage or discourage membership in any labor organization * * *."

29 U.S.C.A. § 158(b) provides in part:

"(b) It shall be an unfair labor practice for a labor organization or...