Opinion ID: 779933
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Plaintiffs' Past Experience with Apprenticeship Training Program Registration

Text: 14 For many years the Association and Local 363 jointly sponsored a state-registered training program. In April 1994 the defendant State Labor Department deregistered that program, and since then the Association has not participated in any registered programs. In addition to the application leading to the present action, there have been since April 1994 at least two attempts by individual Association members to register an employer-sponsored training program, neither of which was successful. 15 One of these earlier attempts was made by Eugene Iovine, Inc. (Iovine), one of the Association's member contractors. On May 31, 1996 Iovine filed an application with defendant to register its own employer-sponsored program. See Iovine v. Sweeney, No. 97 CV 0873, 1997 WL 124216, at  (E.D.N.Y. Mar.14, 1997). Defendant rejected the application because, among other things, Local 3 objected to the program. Id. Iovine challenged the rejection, first administratively and then in federal court, on the grounds that Local 3's permission was not required by the state regulation. Id. Iovine also alleged that the State Labor Department's interpretation of § 601.4(g) allows the union to block the registration of any employer-sponsored training program and thereby interferes with ongoing collective bargaining negotiations in violation of federal labor law. Accordingly, the substantive issue in Iovine — just as it is here — was whether § 601.4(g) may be interpreted to require union consent prior to registration of an employer-sponsored program if an expired bargaining agreement — one which has yet to be replaced — provides for union participation in such programs. 16 In Iovine's case, defendant stood by its initial determination denying Iovine's application. The federal district court denied Iovine's motion for a preliminary injunction, but did not reach the § 601.4(g) construction issue raised by Iovine. Id. at . Rather, the trial court ruled that regardless of whether Local 3's permission was required pursuant to § 601.4(g), the defendant had other reasons that provided adequate support for its refusal to register Iovine's training program. Id. After the district court's denial of the motion for a preliminary injunction, the parties agreed to discontinue the proceedings without prejudice.