Opinion ID: 2382248
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the duty to maintain and control a picket line and common law agency

Text: In addition to submitting the case to the jury on the basis of 206h liability, the trial court, by way of separate interrogatories, submitted the matter under a charge of duty to maintain a picket line and common law agency principles. The jury, in its verdict, also found the unions responsible under this theory. Since we have concluded that the restrictive standard of 206h applies and that the evidence of vicarious responsibility was insufficient as a matter of law, it follows that the court erred in submitting the case to the jury on the basis of common law agency principles since 206h permits recovery only under the restrictive conditions set forth in that provision. As a matter of judicial economy, however, we will discuss the matter under Pennsylvania's common law agency principles as we conclude that even if they were to apply, the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law and that judgment N.O.V. should be entered on this basis. In order to assess the legal propriety of the appellees' theory of union responsibility, it is again necessary to focus on the parties' respective contentions and the trial itself. Initially, it is important to observe that throughout the course of this litigation, including the trial, the charge to the jury and the appellate briefs, the terminology principal and agent is used almost exclusively. It is instructive, at the outset, to recognize that not every relationship of principal and agent creates vicarious responsibility in the principal for acts of the agent. The distinction was discussed by our supreme court in Smalich v. Westfall, 440 Pa. 409, 269 A.2d 476 (1970). [11-13] Agency is the relationship which results from (1) the manifestation of consent of one person to another that (2) the other shall act on his behalf and subject to his control, and (3) consent by the other so to act: Chalupiak v. Stahlman, 368 Pa. 83, 81 A.2d 577 (1951); Restatement (Second), Agency § 1(1) (1958). Such agency results only if there is an agreement for the creation of a fiduciary relationship with control by the beneficiary: Rosenberg v. Cohen, 370 Pa. 507, 88 A.2d 707 (1952); Restatement (Second), Agency § 1, comments a and b (1958). The right of control by the principal may be exercised by prescribing what the agent shall or shall not do before the agent acts, or at the time when he acts, or at both times   . Further, the principal has power to revoke the agent's authority, although this would constitute a breach of his contract with him   . The control of the principal does not, however, include control at every moment; its exercise may be very attenuated and, as where the principal is physically absent, may be ineffective: Restatement (Second), Agency § 14, comment a. Since an agent who is not a servant is not subject to any right of control by his principal over the details of his physical conduct, the responsibility rests upon the agent alone, and the principal is not liable, for harm caused by his unauthorized negligent physical conduct: Commonwealth v. Minds Coal Mining Corp., 360 Pa. 7, 60 A.2d 14 (1948); Restatement (Second), Agency § 250 (1958). Thus it has long been said to be the general rule that there is no vicarious liability upon the principal in such case: Prosser, The Law of Torts § 70 (3d ed. 1964). [14-18] A master is a species of principal, and a servant is a species of agent: Restatement (Second), Agency § 2, comment a. A master is a principal who employs an agent to perform service in his affairs and who controls or has the right to control the physical conduct of the other in the performance of the service. A servant is an agent employed by a master to perform service in his affairs whose physical conduct in the performance of the service is controlled or is subject to the right to control by the master: Restatement (Second), Agency § 2(1) and (2) (Emphasis added.). Thus a master not only controls the results of the work but also may direct the manner in which such work shall be done, and a servant, in rendering the agreed services, remains entirely under the control and direction of the master: Joseph v. United Workers Assn., 343 Pa. 636, 23 A.2d 470 (1942); McColligan v. Penna. R.R. Co., supra. Those rendering service but retaining control over the manner of doing it are not servants. They may be agents, agreeing only to use care and skill to accomplish a result and subject to the fiduciary duties of loyalty and obedience to the wishes of the principal   : Commonwealth v. Minds Coal Mining Corp., supra, 60 A.2d at 17. Because a master has the right to exercise control over the physical activities of the servant within the time of service, he is vicariously liable for the servant's negligent acts committed within the scope of his employment: Restatement (Second), Agency § 219 (1958); Prosser, The Law of Torts § 69 (3d ed. 1964). 440 Pa. at 413-15, 269 A.2d at 481. See also Juarbe v. City of Philadelphia, 288 Pa.Super. 330, 431 A.2d 1073 (1981); Turley v. Kotter, 263 Pa.Super. 523, 398 A.2d 699 (1979). Similarly, although the charge of the court makes no mention of the concept of apparent authority, the briefs and opinion of the court en banc refer to the evidence as forming a basis for a finding of union responsibility on the basis of, inter alia, the apparent authority of Crossan and Kendig to act on behalf of Local 107. Appellees, for example, argue that Crossan was an agent of Local 107 and possessed actual, implied and apparent authority with regard to the picket line and rely upon the lower court's citation of Reifsnyder v. Dougherty, 301 Pa. 328, 152 A. 98 (1930) and Revere Press, Inc. v. Blumberg, 431 Pa. 370, 246 A.2d 407 (1968) for the principle that one who leads persons with whom his agent deals to believe that the agent has power to bind his principal may be liable on the theory of apparent authority. Thus, it is argued that Crossan had at least apparent authority over the conduct of the picket line and liability of the union ensues. While the doctrine of apparent authority is undoubtedly recognized in Pennsylvania, we fail to see its applicability to the present case. Apparent authority is grounded on the theory that the principal creates circumstances which cause one dealing with the agent to reasonably believe that the agent has the authority and relies on this belief. Reifsnyder, supra, and Revere Press, supra, cite the principle in settings dealing with contract liability because of reliance on the agent's authority. See Juarbe v. City of Philadelphia, 288 Pa.Super. at 343, 431 A.2d at 1079-80. (The two doctrines [apparent authority and agency by estoppel] are customarily relevant in the context of business transactions. . . .). Here, the claim is one in tort for the negligence which resulted in the shooting. We fail to see how the appellees can be said in any way to have relied upon the apparent authority of Crossan (or anyone else) to avoid being the victims of the shooting incident. Finally, it is not clear from the record as to precisely what agent or servant of the union is claimed to have been negligent and in what manner. In the court's charge in chief, there is no mention by name of any agent of the union, although there is a reference to the fact that plaintiff contended that certain union stewards and members of the negotiating committee were in fact agents of Local 107. . . . Nevertheless, the court went on to charge the jury to determine the nature of the relationship which existed between certain witnesses and [the unions]. The general nature of the charge was further demonstrated when the court stated: Consider under all the evidence of this case whether any agency relationships existed. Consider which witnesses were officers or employees of either Local 107 or the IBT. Consider what occurred during the course of the strike, and most importantly on January 25th, 1980. That the jury may have been confused by the dual agency charge (i.e., 206h agency and common law agency) which were cast in only the most general terms is demonstrated by the fact that after twenty-five minutes of deliberation they returned with a question asking for a definition of agency. Again, less than two hours later the jury returned with another question relating to the agency charge. The jury, at this time, was refused their request for a dictionary. Thirty-five minutes later the jury asked for written instructions as to agency. At this time, the court again charged on agency making specific reference to Mr. Cimino, the president of Local 107, Mr. Smalley, the business agent, and Crossan and Kendig, but again left the issue of agency to the jury. I will leave it to you to decide who, if any people would fall into that category, and Between Local 107 and IBT, a principal, that is in this case Local 107 with respect to his agent, if you find it has agents or the IBT with respect to its agents, if you find it has any agents. That's the question for you. Thereafter, the jury resumed deliberation and returned the verdict. We have discussed these matters, not in the context of error in the court's charge, for indeed it does not appear that there were any exceptions to the court's charge, but rather to determine the nature of the cause of action asserted by appellees and submitted to the jury by the court for, while there were no exceptions to the charge, appellants have consistently argued that the evidence was insufficient to permit a recovery against the unions. Thus, our present standard is to assess the asserted cause of action as formulated and fashioned by the court in its charge; to examine its cognizability under principles of Pennsylvania law; and determine the sufficiency of evidence. We do so under the following standard: The standard of review for an order denying a motion for a judgment N.O.V. is well defined. It is the same standard used by the trial judge in deciding whether to grant the motion. `Accepting as true all facts and proper inferences which tend to support the contention of the party against whom the motion has been made, and rejecting all testimony and inferences to the contrary,' we must reverse such an order denying the motion `when no two reasonable minds could differ that, as a matter of law, the party has failed to make out his case.' Timbrook v. Foremost Ins. Co., 324 Pa.Super. 384, 387, 471 A.2d 891, 892-93 (1984). It is not within this court's province to weigh the evidence or to render judgments as to credibility. See City of Bethlehem v. Gawlik, 30 Pa. Commonwealth Ct. 390, 374 A.2d 540, 542 (1977); P.L.E. Judgment § 146. Ingrassia Construction Co. v. Walsh, 337 Pa.Super. 58, 486 A.2d 478, 480 (1984). The duty which is alleged to have been breached is the duty to monitor and control a picket line. We are furnished no cases directly dealing with this concept of union responsibility. Furthermore, the court provided no instruction as to the nature of a union's accountability with respect to setting up and managing a picket line, the degree of control, monitoring or surveillance which reasonably must be maintained over the picket line, and the standards applicable thereto; or the conditions under which the union may reasonably be required to take action to avoid the accidents or injury as a result of misconduct on the picket line. The jury was simply told to determine if the unions had a duty to monitor and control the picket line and thereafter to decide whether they were negligent in carrying out that duty. Assuming, arguendo, that a duty to maintain a picket line is a cognizable duty of a union under Pennsylvania law, we believe it is error for the court to leave to the jury to decide if such a duty exists (and also, presumably, the nature and extent of the duty). The existence of a duty and its extent is not for the jury to determine. Cf. O'Toole v. Borough of Braddock, 397 Pa. 562, 155 A.2d 848 (1959) (court erroneously charged jury to determine issue of law); Berry v. Friday, 324 Pa.Super. 499, 472 A.2d 191 (1984) (a trial judge is charged with the responsibility of determining all pertinent questions of law). Stated otherwise, we conclude that it was error for the court to submit to the jury a cause of action for failure to monitor and control a picket line wherein the existence of the duty to maintain a picket line is left for jury determination. We further find that, under the facts of this case, there was no breach of duty by the unions which could form the basis for recovery of damages from the unions. Initially, when we view the conduct of union member Ballinger, we think it is clear beyond peradventure that his act in shooting his fellow employees, including two fellow strikers, was beyond any reasonable scope of his authority. The law is clear that a servant who uses excessive force or acts in an outrageous manner steps outside the scope of his authority and in such circumstances, the master is not vicariously liable for the servant's act. Lunn v. Yellow Cab Co., 403 Pa. 231, 169 A.2d 103 (1961) (cab driver stabbed prospective passenger in altercation); Potter Title and Trust Co. v. Knox, 381 Pa. 202, 113 A.2d 549 (1955) (cab driver shot at striking workers); Howard v. Zaney Bar, 369 Pa. 155, 85 A.2d 401 (1952) (owner of bar not liable when bartender shot patron who had made a pass at female customer); Fitzgerald v. McCutcheon, 270 Pa.Super. 102, 410 A.2d 1270 (1979) (off duty policeman shot neighbor while attempting arrest); Straiton v. Rosinsky, 183 Pa. Super. 545, 133 A.2d 257 (1957) (movie usher struck patron with flashlight  under facts, scope of employment for jury, but issue may be one of law). Appellant's theory of union responsibility seeks to avoid the consequences of this principle which would be a barrier to union responsibility by focusing on the duty to maintain the picket line. In this regard, although it was not apparent from the charge, a reading of the briefs [6] and the record, discloses that the thrust of appellees' argument centered on the role which William Crossan played during the strike action and, specifically, at the time of the incident forming the basis of this suit. The appellees contend that Crossan represented the local in a supervisory capacity with respect to the picketing. The union, while admitting that Crossan had acted as chief steward for the union at the 3M plant, argued that his duties in this capacity expired with the union contract, and that he had no official supervisory role with respect to the conduct of the picket line. We have already disagreed with the court's discussion of apparent authority as having no applicability to the present claim of tort liability. Nevertheless, insofar as the role of Crossan acting on behalf of the union in a managerial capacity with respect to the picketing activities, the record supports a conclusion that he was vested with at least some authority to act in a supervisory capacity with respect to the operation of the picket line. [7] Merely concluding that Crossan had some authority over the picket line, however, does not fix responsibility on the union for, inevitably, contrary to appellees' argument, one must determine the scope of the authority, and whether the shooting was so contrary to the likely incidents of picketing activities as to be unforeseeable and beyond the scope of reasonable control of picketing. Accordingly, one must determine not only the fact of agency, but also the dimensions thereof. Cf. Mellon Nat'l. Bank v. Esler, 357 Pa. 525, 55 A.2d 327 (1947); Lewis v. Matias, 300 Pa. 238, 150 A. 636 (1930); Beal & Simons v. Adams Express Co., 13 Pa.Super. 143 (1900). Essentially, the duty which appellees seek to vest in Crossan, (absolute responsibility to police the picket line) is not one supported by the evidence. The present case is unlike cases where the owner of a bar may be responsible for the maintenance and policing of employees and patrons on the premises. See Ash v. 627 Bar, Inc., 197 Pa.Super. 39, 176 A.2d 137 (1961); Poulos v. Brady, 167 Pa.Super. 150, 74 A.2d 694 (1950) or, where the agent is employed in a capacity where the tortious act is directly related to the performance of the agent's duties. See Orr v. William J. Burns International Detective Agency, 337 Pa. 587, 12 A.2d 25 (1940) (shooting by guard hired to protect persons and property); Sebastianelli v. Cleland Simpson, 152 Pa. Super. 203, 31 A.2d 570 (1943) (attack on suspected shoplifters by detective in the employment of store). But even in these situations, not every act is attributable to the principal. Mac Phail v. Pinkerton's National Detective Agency, 134 Pa.Super. 351, 3 A.2d 968 (auto repossessor held to be outside scope of employment in personal assault); Dalsey v. Czeiner, 154 Pa.Super. 194, 35 A.2d 523 (1944) (bartender-in-charge struck patron off premises after closing). See also Teal v. Kings Farms Co., 285 F.2d 62 (3d Cir. 1960) (employer not liable for assault on fellow employee unless master knew or should have known of the necessity and opportunity for exercising control); Restatement of Torts 2nd § 317. Assuming, then, that Crossan had some duty to maintain or control the picket line, this fact does not make him or the union the insurer of the conduct of the picketers, nor does it make the acts of Crossan the act of the union for he is at best acting only as an agent or servant of the union. Simply removing the responsibility one step from the acting tortfeasor (Ballinger) does not avoid the issue: was not the shooting, either viewed from the standpoint of Ballinger as actor or Crossan as agent with some supervisory responsibility, so far outside the scope of the agent's authority as to render the master (union) not responsible. Our supreme court here opined: An act may be within the scope of the employment although consciously criminal or tortious. On the other hand, the fact that the servant intends to commit a crime, especially if the crime is of some magnitude, is to be considered in determining whether or not the act is within the employment, since the master is not responsible for acts which are clearly inappropriate to or unforeseeable to the accomplishment of the authorized result. As in other cases, it is a matter of degree, the question being whether or not the conduct is so unlike that authorized that it is substantially a different thing. Sum.Pa.Jur. Agency, Section 238. First National Bank of Altoona v. Turchetta, 407 Pa. 511, 181 A.2d 285, 287-88 (1962) (emphasis in original). Appellees' theory is that Local 107 was negligent in that this shooting was a natural and foreseeable consequence of its negligent maintenance of the picket line and that the union created an atmosphere ripe for violence and injury. As support for the theory that the union anticipated violence on the picket line, appellees cite the fact that the union business agent gave a speech to the membership at the time the strike vote was taken in which he stated there was to be no violence or carrying on on the picket line. This laudable caution is cited by appellees as evidence that violence was anticipated. The argument is disingenuous. Picketing is, of course, perfectly legal. It is, by its nature, confrontational and carries risks that untoward incidents may occur. To suggest that exhortations against violence may be used as the basis of respondeat superior responsibility for a subsequent shooting defies experience and logic. Other instances of misconduct cited by appellees are equally unpersuasive as evidence that the shooting or Crossan's alleged laxity were foreseeable. For example, appellees cite Smalley's awareness of isolated instances such as nails placed in the 3M parking lot, a single occasion when a rock was thrown through a 3M window, and some evidence that, despite admonitions to the contrary, there was some drinking during the picketing activities. It is more than a quantum leap to conclude that from such isolated instances during a ten week strike, the unions could be held to foresee that a member would become intoxicated, have possession of a deadly weapon and fire upon and strike three persons without reason; or, given appellees' theory as to the duty to control the picket line, that an employee with some supervisory capacity would not intervene to prevent the shooting incident. Similarly, appellees extract several remarks from the labor-management rhetoric which accompanied the strike action to support their claim of union responsibility. Thus, on one occasion, the local president, Cimino, stated to the 3M negotiator following a lack of progress . . . it is going to get hot now and on another occasion Smalley stated it's calm now but wait. Given the hyperbole and posturing that inevitably accompany labor-management negotiations one would have to engage in tortured reasoning to conclude that these isolated remarks evidence awareness of a risk that there would be such a bizarre dereliction by a drunken member, which, even giving credence to the most distorted reasoning, could in any circumstances be interpreted to further the union's cause in any way. We assume, without deciding, that Pennsylvania would recognize a duty in a union to control a picket line authorized by it. We conclude, however, that there was insufficient evidence to warrant jury determination that the shooting incident, or the failure to monitor or control the picket line, were, on application of agency principles, attributable to the union. We reach this conclusion as to both Local 107 and IBT, and we do so regardless of whether Ballinger, Crossan, Kendig, Smalley, Cimino or any other individual be viewed as the agent of the unincorporated associations (unions) for the purposes of vicarious liability. Since we have concluded that judgment N.O.V. should be entered in favor of both appellant unions, we do not reach the other issues raised by appellants on appeal. Judgment N.O.V. entered in favor of International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America and Highway Truck Drivers and Helpers Local Union No. 107.