Opinion ID: 2717155
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Facial Arbitrability

Text: We begin our discussion with the White Book arbitration clause. Article 16 of the White Book sets out grievance procedures. A “grievance” is defined as “any complaint or dispute … concerning the interpretation or application of [the White Book] or concerning any claim of disciplinary action or discharge taken against an employee without just cause.” The Union is required to carry any grievance through a series of steps. If, after moving through the first three steps (each of which involves some level of review by NextEra), a grievance which “involves compliance with the terms and conditions of No. 13-3851 5 [the White Book]” is not “satisfactorily resolved,” the Union “may … submit the dispute to a Board of Arbitration.” The Union rightly notes that this language is of a type that we have referred to, in the past, as broad enough to trigger the presumption of arbitrability. See Intern. Union of Operating Eng’rs Local Union 103 v. Indiana Constr. Corp., 13 F.3d 253, 254, 257 (7th Cir. 1994) (clause required arbitration of “any dispute … concerning the interpretation or application of the terms of this contract.”); Certified Grocers of Illinois, Inc. v. Local 703, 816 F.2d 329, 329–30 (7th Cir. 1987) (clause required the arbitration of “any difference … between the Employer and the Union concerning any interpretation or application of any of the provisions of this Agreement.”). NextEra responds that the language is in fact quite narrow and does not trigger a presumption. At the same time, however, NextEra acknowledges that we have recently grown more reluctant to wade into the waters of a breadth-or-narrowness dispute. See Intern. Bhd. of Elec. Workers Local 21 v. Illinois Bell Tel. Co., 491 F.3d 685, 688 (7th Cir. 2007). This case provides a great illustration of the basis for our reticence: The entire dispute is irrelevant. We need not rely on the “broad language presumption,” here. The White Book specifically contemplates arbitration of this kind of dispute. The grievance the Union filed on Hofstra’s behalf claimed that Hofstra “was discharged from employment without just cause due to an inappropriate site access denial determination.” Employee discharge is specifically listed in Article 16 as an appropriate subject for a grievance. More importantly, a “just cause” requirement and certain procedural 6 No. 13-3851 conditions are attached to discharge by Article 12, meaning that a grievance concerning Hofstra’s discharge goes to “terms and conditions” set out in the White Book. The Article 16 arbitration clause, in turn, covers grievances related to the “terms and conditions” of the White Book. Thus, Hofstra’s grievance is arbitrable “on its face.” United Steel, 531 F.3d at 535. That means we will compel arbitration “unless it may be said with positive assurance that the arbitration clause is not susceptible of an interpretation that covers the asserted dispute.” Id.