Opinion ID: 700900
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The miners failed to exhaust internal union remedies.

Text: 31 Finally, summary judgment against these plaintiffs is proper because their claims were foreclosed from the outset for failure to exhaust internal union remedies available to the plaintiffs. 4 Before a union member may sue his union for breach of the duty of fair representation, he must exhaust the grievance procedure provided by the union constitution. Clayton v. International Union, UAW, 451 U.S. 679, 692-96 (1981). Courts have discretion to decide whether to require exhaustion if any of three factors are present: (1) union officials are so hostile to the employee that he could not hope to obtain a fair hearing on his claim; (2) the internal union appeals procedure would be inadequate either to reactivate his grievance or to award him the full relief he seeks; or (3) exhaustion of internal procedures would unreasonably delay his opportunity to obtain a judicial hearing on the merits of his claim. Id. at 689; Monroe v. International Union, UAW, 723 F.2d 22, 24-25 (6th Cir. 1983). 32 The UMWA constitution provides a process for internal appeals of disputes within the union. This process requires written notice to the individual or body whose action or decision is being appealed. 17 UMWA Const. Sec. 4. The constitution provides for progressively higher levels of appeal and review from the local officers up to the international organization. Id. at Sec. 1. Since the plaintiffs have alleged breach of contract based on the union's constitution, they cannot claim ignorance of the constitution and its various terms and provisions and would, in any event, be bound by the privileges and duties as specified by that constitution. See Vestal v. Hoffa, 451 F.2d 706 (6th Cir. 1971); Cleveland Orchestra Committee v. Cleveland Federation of Musicians, 303 F.2d 229 (6th Cir. 1962) (both finding that by joining a union, workers agree to be governed by the union's constitution and regulations). 33 The plaintiffs have provided no evidence in this record to indicate that any of them followed the written appeals process to protest the actions of the local officers regarding either selection of picketers or the settlement of CA 84-338 and the distribution of the settlement proceeds. The plaintiffs, however, argue that it would have been futile to attempt exhaustion of internal remedies regarding the settlement of CA 84-338. This Circuit requires a clear and positive showing of futility before excusing a failure to exhaust. Monroe, 723 F.2d 22; Miller v. Chrysler Corp., 748 F.2d 323, 326 (6th Cir. 1984). Plaintiffs have not met this burden. Nor can the plaintiffs escape exhaustion requirements by arguing that they relied on reassurances from local union members and officials that the UMWA was representing their interests during the strike and in the UMWA action against the mine owners. Ryan v. General Motors Corp., 929 F.2d 1105, 1108 (6th Cir. 1989). The plaintiff's telephone calls and meetings with various levels of the UMWA officials do not satisfy or eliminate the requirement of the law and of the union's constitution that plaintiffs follow specific procedures in filing appeals. The record does not support excusing these plaintiffs' failure to exhaust available internal remedies on any of the three possible grounds. 34 First, there is no evidence in the record that the UMWA's officials were so hostile to these plaintiffs that plaintiffs could not hope to obtain a fair hearing on their claims as those claims arose. Second, there is nothing in the record to indicate that the internal appeals procedure would have been inadequate to provide these plaintiffs the relief they sought. They could have followed the procedures available in the union constitution to appeal the local union officials' selection of picketers for the strike force, to protest their exclusion from union meetings, and to protest the actions of the international union regarding the settlement. Third, exhaustion of internal appeals would not have unreasonably delayed the miners' opportunity to obtain a judicial hearing on the merits of their claims. By law, union members cannot be required to spend more than four months on internal appeals. See 29 U.S.C. Sec. 411(a)(4) (West Supp. 1994). The union's constitution clearly provides for expedited appeals. UMWA Const. Secs. 5-9. Thus, the plaintiffs have not clearly and positively shown that it was futile for them even to attempt to exhaust the internal union remedies available to them or the existence of any of the factors that would permit the district court in its discretion to excuse the plaintiffs' failure to exhaust those internal remedies.