Source: http://masscases.com/cases/sjc/362/362mass334.html
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 10:17:08+00:00

Document:
SCHOOL COMMITTEE OF BOSTON vs. JOHN P. REILLY & others.
BILL IN EQUITY filed in the Superior Court on March 23, 1970.
Certain matters, including a contempt petition, were heard in the Superior Court by Kalus, J.
Albert L. Goldman (John F. McMahon with him) for the defendants.
Edith W. Fine, Assistant Corporation Counsel, for the plaintiff.
for whom counsel have appeared in this suit . . . are enjoined and restrained from engaging in any strike, partial strike, or any concerted refusal to perform services for . . . [the Committee], until further order of Court."
Subsequently, on May 1, 1970, the Committee filed a "Petition for Attachment for Contempt" alleging that ten members of the Union, who were not individually named as defendants in the original bill, had violated the court's preliminary injunction. The court, of its own motion, twice amended this contempt petition to add as parties defendant both the Union and the defendants individually named in the original bill.
day that the strike continued from the date of the court's order. This document included an order that a final decree be entered permanently enjoining the defendants "from engaging in a work stoppage or withholding of their services from the City of Boston, or engaging in or inducing or encouraging the withholding of services by the teachers of the Boston School Department."
The defendants appeal on several grounds which we consider seriatim.
1. Jurisdiction of the Superior Court. On the day the judge entered the preliminary injunction the defendants filed a plea to the jurisdiction of the Superior Court claiming: (1) that no civil remedy exists; (2) that the bill seeks equitable enforcement of a criminal statute; (3) that the plaintiff has no standing; and (4) that the plaintiff has an adequate remedy at law. This plea was overruled, and the defendants duly filed a notice of appeal. They urge the following arguments on this point.
may possibly arise." Similarly, in the instant case we need not determine whether a strike by a municipality's teachers presents an "occasion of peculiar urgency," because the circumstances of this case afford an additional ground for the issuance of an injunction.
In addition to relying upon the provisions of G. L. c. 149, the Committee sought specific enforcement of art. XII of its collective bargaining agreement with the Union whereby the Union covenanted not to "engage in, instigate, or condone any strike." It is well settled that, where the requirements for injunctive relief are met (see Kenyon v. Chicopee, 320 Mass. 528, 534) such relief may be invoked to enforce a contract, particularly where the covenant to be enforced is negative in nature. [Note 5] Since, "[w]hen the bill was brought the . . . [collective bargaining agreement] was in force, . . . equity properly took jurisdiction to hear the case on the application for injunctive relief." Rooney v. Weeks, 290 Mass. 18, 26.
to be enforced is contractual in nature and is not "wholly the creature of statute." Such a provision against work stoppages could have been included in the contract even absent any statutory restriction on work stoppages. There is nothing in the enactment of St. 1965, c. 763, Section 2, adding Sections 178G-178N to c. 149, which would warrant the conclusion that this enactment was intended to restrict previously existing common law remedies for breach of contract in the employer-employee context.
(b) Secondly, the defendants contend that the Superior Court lacked jurisdiction because the "School Committee of the City of Boston, named as the plaintiff, was not a proper party to bring this suit. In part this argument consists of an attack upon the Committee's standing to enforce the provisions of G. L. c. 149. Since we view this case as an equity suit to enforce art. XII of the collective bargaining agreement, we do not deal with this aspect of the defendants' argument.
Our holding is not intended to affect the long-standing requirement of naming representative plaintiffs or defendants in cases involving unincorporated voluntary associations and similar groups whose exact membership, in terms of identity and numbers, may be difficult to define. Nor is it intended to apply to cases involving suits between conflicting factions of the same body or group, whether public or private.
2. Entry of a Final Decree after the Contempt Hearing. As indicated earlier, in his "Findings, Order and Decree in re Petition for Contempt," after finding the defendants guilty of criminal contempt, the judge ordered the entry of a final decree permanently enjoining all defendants "from engaging in a work stoppage or withholding of their services from the City of Boston, or engaging in or inducing or encouraging the withholding of services by the teachers of the Boston School Department." It does not appear from the record that a separate final decree was ever entered. However, the parties have treated this portion of the judge's "Findings, Order and Decree in re Petition for Contempt" as a final decree. The defendants argue that it was improper for the judge to enter a final decree as a result of the contempt proceedings because they had no notice or opportunity to be heard on the form of such a decree. We agree.
a "Motion to File Pleadings Separately" requesting permission to file demurrers and answers at a later time. This motion was denied by the trial judge, thus requiring them to file their answer with their special pleas, and precluding the filing of an answer after the filing of such pleas, except by leave of court. Rule 28 of the Superior Court (1954).
On March 25, 1970, the defendants filed a motion and several special pleas, which were all subsequently denied, but they filed no answer at that time. Later, on May 1, 1970, the defendants filed a motion for leave to file an answer and demurrer, but it does not appear that any action was ever taken on that motion. It thus appearing that no timely answer was ever filed by the defendants, the case was ripe for the entry of an interlocutory decree taking the substantive allegations of the bill for confessed, but no such decree was entered. On this state of the pleadings, the defendants were not entitled to a hearing on the merits of the bill at the time of the contempt hearing.
However, irrespective of the effect of their failure to file an answer upon their right to a hearing on the merits, the defendants were entitled to be heard on the question of the form of the final decree, and absent notice and an opportunity to be heard on that subject it was error to enter a final decree as a result of the hearing on the contempt petition. Blanchard v. Cooke, 144 Mass. 207, 218. Cosmopolitan Trust Co. v. Golub, 252 Mass. 574, 579. "Upon proceedings for contempt it is the generally accepted rule that the only inquiry is whether the court granting the injunction had jurisdiction of the subject matter and the parties, and whether the order has been violated. The merits of the original cause are not involved and are not open for examination." Irving & Casson-A. H. Davenport Co. v. Howlett, 229 Mass. 560, 562. See Prenguber v. Agostini, 294 Mass. 491, 494-495; Crystal, petitioner, 330 Mass. 583, 588.
Decree in re Petition for Contempt" filed on May 5, 1970, as a final decree, as did the parties: "All . . . [defendants] are hereby permanently enjoined and restrained from engaging in a work stoppage or withholding of their services from the City of Boston, or engaging in or inducing or encouraging the withholding of services by the teachers of the Boston School Department." The decree contained in the quoted language is reversed and the case is remanded to the Superior Court for further proceedings in accordance with this opinion if any of the parties desire the entry of a final decree. By virtue of this action we do not reach the additional questions argued by the parties concerning the final decree, including the question whether the controversy has become moot. See Mullholland v. State Racing Commn. 295 Mass. 286, 289; Hubrite Informal Frocks, Inc. v. Kramer, 297 Mass. 530, 533.
3. Conclusion. We affirm (a) the interlocutory decree of March 25, 1970, by which the defendants "are enjoined and restrained from engaging in any strike, partial strike, or any concerted refusal to perform services for . . . [the Committee], until further order of Court"; (b) the interlocutory decree of March 26, 1970, overruling the defendants' Plea to Jurisdiction; and (c) all other rulings, orders and decrees from which the defendants have appealed except the final decree which we have reversed above.
[Note 1] General Laws c. 149, Section 178M, inserted by St. 1965, c. 763, Section 2, provides: "It shall be unlawful for any [municipal] employee to engage in, induce, or encourage any strike, work stoppage, slowdown or withholding of services by such employees."
[Note 2] Article XII of the collective bargaining agreement in effect for the 1969-1970 school year provided in part: "The Union, in consideration of the value of this Agreement . . . will not engage in, instigate, or condone any strike, work stoppage or any concerted refusal to perform normal work duties on the part of any employee covered by this Agreement."
[Note 3] The court's order provided: "The other eight individual . . . [defendants] named in the amended bill of complaint are ordered to pay $500 each to the City of Boston on or before Friday, May 15, 1970, in punishment for said contempt. . . . Boston Teachers Union, Local 66, is ordered to pay to the City of Boston the sum of $4,000 on or before Friday, May 15, 1970, in punishment of said contempt. Payment of the total sum of $4,000 to the City of Boston by one or all of said . . . [defendants], including the . . . Union, on the foregoing contempts, shall constitute full compliance with the aforementioned order."
[Note 4] General Laws, c. 149, Section 180, provides: "Whoever violates a provision of this chapter for which no specific penalty is provided shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars."
[Note 5] See Lumley v. Wagner, 1 De G., M. & G. 604; Singer Sewing-Mach. Co. v. Union Button-Hole & Emboidery Co. 22 Fed. Cas. (No. 12,904) 220, 221-222 (D. Mass.); Butterick Pub. Co. v. Fisher, 203 Mass. 122, 130-131; Chandler, Gardner & Williams, Inc. v. Reynolds, 250 Mass. 309, 316. See also, as to the injunctive enforcement of implied negative covenants, Tobin v. Cody, 343 Mass. 716; Cap's Auto Parts, Inc. v. Caproni, 347 Mass. 211.
[Note 6] It should be noted that the members of the Committee did not have to sign the bill since, under G. L. c. 214, Section 15, a party's attorney may sign the bill, as was done in this case.
[Note 7] This holding is in harmony with the rationale of G. L. c. 228, Section 14, which authorizes the continued prosecution of a pending suit by the successor to a public officer without the necessity of a formal amendment to the pleadings. See Commissioner of Admn. v. Kelley, 350 Mass. 501, 502.

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