Opinion ID: 1612933
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: 326 The Cause of Action Against Local 364.

Text: The complaint also fails to state a cause of action against the union. The contractual provisions asserted in the complaint do not obligate the union to contest the discharge even if the union had the right to do so. Section 9.03 gives the union the right to question and investigate any dismissal for cause. Section 9.04 provides that the union shall not attempt to have the employee reinstated where the dismissal is for just cause. Finally, section 9.05 asserts that the employer shall submit a card stating the cause of dismissal not later than a day after such dismissal. There is nothing in these provisions which obligates the union to contest every discharge. In the absence of other allegations (for example, showing an employer-union conspiracy or an arbitrary violation of the union's duty of fair representation), we are persuaded that the amended complaint does not now state a cause of action. A union has a fiduciary duty of fair representation under its collective-bargaining contract. Humphrey v. Moore (1964), 375 U. S. 335, 84 Sup. Ct. 363, 11 L. Ed. (2d) 370; Clark v. Hein-Werner Corp. (1959), 8 Wis. (2d) 264, 99 N. W. (2d) 132, 100 N. W. (2d) 317; Fleming, The Labor Arbitration Process (1965), 107-133; Aaron, Some Aspects of the Union's Duty of Fair Representation, 22 Ohio State Law Journal (1961), 39. However, the mere allegation that the union has failed to contest the discharge is insufficient to support a claim for damages. In Fray v. Amalgamated, etc., Local Union No. 248 (1960), 9 Wis. (2d) 631, 641, 101 N. W. (2d) 782, we commented upon a union's discretion in determining whether to present an employee's grievance: The union has great discretion in processing the claims of its members, and only in extreme cases of abuse of discretion will courts interfere with the union's decision not to present an employee's grievance. . . . In certain cases for the greater good of the members as a whole, some individual rights may have to be compromised.  In our view, the complaint does not allege conduct showing a breach of the union's duty of fair representation. Cf. Pattenge v. Wagner Iron Works (1957), 275 Wis. 495, 500, 82 N. W. (2d) 172. We also are of the opinion that the amended complaint is demurrable on the part of the union because of the plaintiff's failure to aver that he has exhausted his remedies within the union before starting his court action. In the McDonald Case, cited above, a complaint against a union for its alleged failure to represent the plaintiff in connection with his discharge was held to be insufficient when the complaint did not allege facts which showed an exhaustion of remedies within the union. Kopke v. Ranney (1962), 16 Wis. (2d) 369, 114 N. W. (2d) 485. Although the original complaint stated that the grievance was made known to the union, that allegation is insufficient under the McDonald Case.