Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-00861/USCOURTS-cand-3_16-cv-00861-3/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 720
Nature of Suit: Labor Management Relations Act
Cause of Action: 29:185 Labor/Mgt. Relations (Contracts)

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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

AMERICAN MARITIME OFFICERS,

Plaintiff,

v.

AMERICAN PRESIDENT LINES, LTD., et 

al.,

Defendants.

Case No. 16-cv-00861-EMC 

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANT 

MMP’S MOTION TO DISMISS

Docket No. 53

Plaintiff American Maritime Officers (AMO) brought the present lawsuit against 

Defendant American President Lines, Ltd. (APL) and Defendant International Organization of 

Masters, Mates, and Pilots, affiliated with the International Longshoremen’s Associations, AFLCIO (MMP) for APL’s replacement of AMO-represented licensed deck officers (LDOs) with 

members of other unions, including MMP-represented LDOs. 

Pending before the Court is MMPs’ motion to dismiss or, in the alternative, motion for 

summary judgment on the grounds that “Plaintiff has failed to exhaust union constitutional 

procedures before filing the instant lawsuit, failed to state a claim upon which relief can be 

granted, and failed to follow a court order to invoke the Article XX process and join necessary 

parties.” Docket No. 53 at 2. 

Federal labor law requires that plaintiffs demonstrate that they have exhausted a union’s 

dispute resolution procedure before bringing a suit to federal courts. Republic Steel Corp. v. 

Maddox, 379 U.S. 650, 652 (1965) (“As a general rule in cases to which federal law applies, 

federal labor policy requires that individual employees wishing to assert contract grievances must 

attempt use of the contract grievance procedure agreed upon by employer and union as the mode 

of redress.”); Motion Picture & Videotape Editors Guild, Local 776, I.A.T.S.E. v. Int’l Sound 

Case 3:16-cv-00861-EMC Document 61 Filed 11/16/16 Page 1 of 2
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United States District Court

For the Northern District of California

Technicians, Cinetechnicians & Television Engineers of Motion Picture & Television Indus. Local 

695, 1985 WL 5777, at *3 (C.D. Cal. Sept. 3, 1985) (applying the exhaustion requirement to an 

intraunion dispute between two local chapters of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage 

Employees). “If a failure to exhaust is found,” the Ninth Circuit has state that “the proper 

disposition is dismissal without prejudice.” Beyene v. Coleman Sec. Services, Inc., 854 F.2d 365, 

368-69 (9th Cir. 1988) (per curiam). 

AMO does not dispute there is, as a general matter, a requirement to exhaust the dispute 

resolution procedures under Article XX of the AFL-CIO Constitution before bringing a lawsuit. 

Nor does AMO dispute that it has not exhausted those procedures. At the direction of the Court, it 

commenced proceedings under Article XX, only to have then withdrawn unilaterally and without 

good excuse from the proceeding. The fact that MMP allegedly had failed to exhaust the 

procedures earlier would not exempt AMO from the current exhaustion requirement; to the extent 

AMO argues otherwise, it fails to cite any convincing authority in support of its position. At

bottom, AMO does not raise any futility argument or other exceptions from the exhaustion 

requirement. 

Thus, the Court therefore orders that Defendant MMP’s motion to dismiss be GRANTED

without prejudice. Additionally, with respect to Defendant APL, the Court orders that the 

proceedings be STAYED pending AMO’s exhaustion of the dispute resolution procedures under 

Article XX. AMO is again ordered forthwith to exhaust its remedies under Article XX. Failure to 

do so will result in dismissal with prejudice.

MMP’s motion for summary judgment is moot, given the dismissal order. This order 

disposes of Docket No. 53. 

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: November 16, 2016

______________________________________

EDWARD M. CHEN

United States District Judge

Case 3:16-cv-00861-EMC Document 61 Filed 11/16/16 Page 2 of 2