Opinion ID: 395151
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Class Amendment and Intervention

Text: 4 At oral argument plaintiffs' counsel conceded that, since both the motion to amend to allege a class and the motion to intervene were prompted by the decertification of the new Ford class and the denial of intervention in that case, there would be no need to decide these issues if the district court's order in Ford were vacated and remanded by this court. Since oral argument in this case another panel of this court has done so. Ford v. United States Steel, 638 F.2d 753 (5th Cir. 1981). Our reading of the opinion in Ford indicates that the parties and interests before the district court on remand in that case are identical to those presented in plaintiffs' motions to amend and to intervene. The lengthy and convoluted history of litigation over employment practices at Fairfield Works demands prompt and uniform resolution. See Ford, 638 F.2d at 762. Further litigation over the class and intervention issues present in this case would thwart this objective and serve the interests of none of the parties. We therefore affirm the district court's order denying amendment to allege a class and denying the motion to intervene but direct that these issues merge with those before the district court on remand in Ford. See Blair v. City of Greenville, 649 F.2d 365, 368 (5th Cir. 1981).