Opinion ID: 746508
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Applicability of Garmon to Plaintiffs' ADA Claims

Text: 19 In applying the Garmon preemption doctrine to Plaintiffs' allegations, the district court overlooked that, unlike in Garmon, the conflict in this case was not between federal and state law, but between two federal statutes. 3 The district court may have lost sight of the fact that Garmon preemption originates from the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, and that this provision is only implicated when a case involves a conflict between a federal and a state law. See New York Tel. Co. v. New York Dept. of Labor, 440 U.S. 519, 539 n. 32, 99 S.Ct. 1328, 1341 n. 32, 59 L.Ed.2d 553 (1979). Garmon and its progeny was primarily concerned with the conflict between federal labor policy and state laws. As the Garmon Court stated: 20 To leave the States free to regulate conduct so plainly within the central aim of federal regulation involves too great a danger of conflict between power asserted by Congress and requirements imposed by state law. ... [T]o allow the States to control conduct which is the subject of national regulation would create potential frustration of national purposes. 21 Garmon, 359 U.S. at 244, 79 S.Ct. at 779 (emphasis added). The Garmon court also noted [o]ur concern is with delimiting areas of conduct which must be free from state regulation if national policy is to be left unhampered. Id. at 246, 79 S.Ct. at 780. (emphasis added). 4 22 Whether Garmon preemption should be extended to preempt a federal, rather than a state, claim is an issue of first impression in this circuit. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court has indicated on several occasions that Garmon preemption is not implicated where the potential conflict is with federal law. For example, in Breininger v. Sheet Metal Workers Int'l Ass'n Local Union No. 6, 493 U.S. 67, 110 S.Ct. 424, 107 L.Ed.2d 388 (1989), the Court held that the district court had jurisdiction to hear a fair representation claim, which is founded solely on substantive federal law, even though the union's breach of their duty of fair representation might have violated § 8 of the NLRA. Id. at 78-80, 110 S.Ct. at 431-32. Similarly, in International Bhd. of Boilermakers v. Hardeman, 401 U.S. 233, 91 S.Ct. 609, 28 L.Ed.2d 10 (1971), the Court held that the district court had jurisdiction to hear a claim that the plaintiff's unlawful expulsion from a union violated the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosures Act, 29 U.S.C. § 411(a)(5) (LMRDA), even though the expulsion in that case was arguably an unfair labor practice. Id. at 237-39, 91 S.Ct. at 612-13. 23 In addition to this guidance from the Supreme Court, several of our sister circuits have addressed this issue and concluded that the Garmon preemption analysis is inapplicable when the NLRA potentially conflicts with another federal statute. In United States v. Boffa, 688 F.2d 919, 931-33 (3rd Cir.1982), cert. denied, 460 U.S. 1022, 103 S.Ct. 1272, 75 L.Ed.2d 494 (1983), the Third Circuit held that Garmon did not preempt the court's consideration of a federal criminal statute prohibiting mail fraud. 5 Similarly, in United States v. International Bhd. of Teamsters, 948 F.2d 98 (2d Cir.1991), in holding that the district court had jurisdiction to consider a claim under the All Writs Act, 28 U.S.C. § 1651, the Second Circuit stated where federal laws and policies other than the NLRA are implicated, the Garmon rule is frequently considered inapplicable. Id. at 105; see also American Postal Workers Union v. United States Postal Service, 766 F.2d 715, 720 (2d Cir.1985) (district court and NLRB have concurrent jurisdiction over suits to enforce labor contracts, even if the conduct involved might entail an unfair labor practice.), cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1046, 106 S.Ct. 1262, 89 L.Ed.2d 572 (1986). 24 The Fifth Circuit has also recognized that the intersection of two federal statutes involves an analysis distinct from traditional Garmon preemption. Britt v. Grocers Supply Co., Inc., 978 F.2d 1441, 1447 (5th Cir.1992), cert. denied, 508 U.S. 960, 113 S.Ct. 2929, 124 L.Ed.2d 679 (1993). In a well-reasoned opinion, the Britt court held that because traditional preemption analysis does not apply when two federal statutes conflict, the Age Discrimination In Employment Act, 29 U.S.C. §§ 621-634, was not preempted by the NLRA. Id. 6 25 Finally, this Court has indicated, on at least one occasion, that Garmon preemption is inapplicable to cases involving two federal statutes. In Brock v. Writers Guild of America, 762 F.2d 1349 (9th Cir.1985), this Court rejected the district court's determination that the Secretary of Labor's action under the LMRDA was preempted by the NLRA: 26 We reject the district court's characterization of this issue in terms of preemption of the Secretary's authority. The use of the term preemption and the court's citation to [Garmon] are inapposite. Issues of preemption are implicated where a state has acted in an area which is reserved to the federal government, in violation of the Supremacy Clause. Garmon involved a state court's attempt to regulate activity which was arguably subject to the NLRA and within the primary jurisdiction of the NLRB. In contrast, the present action raises questions concerning the overlap of two federal statutes. 27 Id. at 1352 n. 4 (dicta). 28 These cases, as well as consideration of the principles which underlie Garmon preemption, lead us to conclude that, in cases such as this, where the conflict is between two federal statutes, Garmon preemption is inapplicable and a federal court may properly retain jurisdiction over non-NLRA federal claims. 7 In reaching this conclusion, we are guided by the fact that the doctrine of Garmon preemption is of constitutional dimension; it is grounded, in part, upon considerations of federal supremacy. No such constitutional concerns are implicated when a federal statute prescribing discriminatory action is said to impinge upon the primary jurisdiction of the NLRB. See Boffa, 688 F.2d at 932 (citing Garmon, 359 U.S. at 244, 79 S.Ct. at 779). 29 Additionally, the doctrine of NLRB primary jurisdiction is founded on the principle that in cases raising issues of fact not within the conventional experience of judges or cases requiring the exercise of administrative discretion, agencies created by Congress for regulating the subject matter should not be passed over.... International Bhd. of Boilermakers, 401 U.S. at 238, 91 S.Ct. at 613 (citations omitted). This factor is simply not implicated in the present case. The determination of unlawful discriminatory employment practices is hardly a question beyond the conventional experience of judges, nor can it be said to raise issue within the special competence of the NLRB. Id. at 238-39, 91 S.Ct. at 613-14 (citations omitted). 30 In short, we find little reason why Garmon should be extended to cover cases involving the overlap of two federal statutes, and preclude the enforcement of a federal act which expressly prescribes the conduct alleged by a plaintiff. 8 Just as federal courts are ill-equipped to displace the role of the NLRB, the NLRB is not-suited to balance the competing federal interests presented by these two statutes. To permit the NLRB to decide claims in which an employer's reasonable accommodation may violate the NLRA would leave the interpretation of the ADA to the NLRB. This judicial function certainly exceeds that agency's expertise and authority. Instead, the careful balancing of these two statutes should be left to the federal courts, who may properly consider the requirements imposed on a employer by the NLRA when determining whether the employer has provided a reasonable accommodation. 9 Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we note that preemption in this case would leave disabled union employees who are the victims of unlawful discrimination without recourse to the federal forum which Congress sought to provide. We hesitate to deny this avenue of relief to plaintiffs in the absence of any indication that the issues presented in such suits were intended to be reserved for exclusive adjudication by the NLRB. IV