Opinion ID: 1383998
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: The facts of this case are relatively simple. Plaintiff United Steelworkers of America, AFLCIO-CLC, is a union which represents employees of Defendant Saint Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc. The parties entered into a collective bargaining agreement which sets forth a four-step grievance appeal process. In pertinent part, the collective bargaining agreement contains a thirty-day period to appeal a grievance decision from step 3 to arbitration: Article 28 Adjustment of Grievances 1. Should disagreements arise as to the meaning and application of or compliance with the provisions of this agreement . . . the matter shall be settled promptly in the following manner: . . . STEP 4: It is agreed that the Union shall have thirty (30) days from the time of the written Step 3 decision to notify the Company in writing that it is appealing a grievance to arbitration. (J.A. 19) (formatting added). The thirty-day period excludes Saturdays, Sundays, [h]olidays and off days (including vacations [or] [s]hutdown for repairs). (J.A. 20) Article 28 of the collective bargaining agreement limits the authority of the arbitrator: An arbitrator to whom any grievance shall be submitted shall be authorized only to interpret and apply the provisions of the agreement insofar as shall be necessary to the determining of such grievances, but he shall not have authority to alter in any way the provisions of this agreement. (J.A. 19) The parties also conditioned the right to arbitrate a grievance decision on strict compliance with the time limits set forth in the collective bargaining agreement: Article 28 Adjustment of Grievances 4. Both parties mutually agree that grievances to be considered must be filed promptly as set forth above after the occurrence thereof. Grievances not appealed within the time limits set forth in Steps 1, 2, 3, or 4 shall be considered settled on the basis of the decision last made and shall not be eligible for further discussion or appeal. (J.A. 20) (emphasis added). Notably, the collective bargaining agreement contains no provision for the determination of arbitrability. Nothing in the collective bargaining agreement indicates that a dispute concerning timeliness should be submitted to arbitration. Indeed, the express terms of the collective bargaining agreement indicate that the parties simply did not contemplate submitting such disputes to arbitration; rather, the plain language of the collective bargaining agreement shows that the parties contractually agreed that the failure to pursue a timely appeal constitutes a substantive bar to arbitration. On March 2, 2004, the Defendant employer terminated two employees for multiple, severe and willful violations of Company Work Rules in disregard of the Company's business interest. (J.A. 42; see also J.A. 43 (same)). Plaintiff filed grievances alleging that the employees were subject to unjust suspension [and] discharge [ ] for a verbal altercation with a supervisor. (J.A. 37; see also J.A. 38 (same)). On March 29, 2004, Defendant issued a written step 3 decision denying Plaintiff's grievance[s] and request[s] for reinstatement and back pay. (J.A. 42; see also J.A. 43 (same)). Plaintiff received the employer's decision on April 8, 2004, and appealed the decision on May 19, 2004. Defendant received notice of Plaintiff's appeal on May 24, 2004, and denied the request to refer the grievances to arbitration because the thirty day period to request an appeal had expired. In turn, Plaintiff filed an action to compel arbitration of the grievances under the collective bargaining agreement in the Western District of Kentucky. The district court, applying Gen. Drivers, Warehousemen and Helpers, Local Union 89 v. Moog Louisville Warehouse, 852 F.2d 871 (6th Cir. 1988), granted summary judgment in favor of Defendant, finding that under the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement the grievances were not arbitrable because Plaintiff failed to timely file an appeal. The district court concluded that the limitations period set forth in the collective bargaining agreement barred Plaintiff's grievances from proceeding to arbitration. [1]