Opinion ID: 604157
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Rouge Steel Company

Text: 38 On March 5, 1990, the district court granted partial summary judgment against defendant Rouge Steel on the issue of the term of employment claimed by its employee, plaintiff Vincent Sylvis. In its opinion of December 18, 1989, which underlies that order, the district court gave preclusive effect to our opinion in Sylvis v. Rouge Steel Co., 873 F.2d 122 (6th Cir.1989), and held that Sylvis' employment with Rouge Steel was for the sailing season. 39 Rouge Steel has not appealed that decision. Although we cannot know for certain the reason it chose not to appeal that order, it is obvious that the conclusion of the district court in its March 5, 1990 order that employment agreements between seamen employed by [Rouge Steel] and [Rouge Steel] are seasonal may be significant under the rationale we have adopted in this opinion, since the agreements may provide the definite period of employment we found lacking in the relationships between the other defendant shipowners and their seamen. Accordingly, while we affirm the order of the district court granting summary judgment to the other shipowner defendants, we must remand this cause to the district court insofar as defendant Rouge Steel and plaintiff Sylvis (and any members of the class he might represent) are concerned, in order that the district court may consider the effect of its March 5, 1990 order in the context of our opinion issued today. 40 Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is affirmed as to defendants Interlake Steamship Co., Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company, Huron Cement, Cleveland Tankers, Inc., Bob-Lo, and American Steamship Company, but vacated as to defendant Rouge Steel Company. As to that defendant, this cause is remanded to the district court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.