Opinion ID: 428521
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: cox, law and the national labor policy 5, 8 (1960).

Text: 5 See 29 U.S.C. Sec. 110 (the appeal shall be heard and the temporary injunctive order affirmed, modified, or set aside with the greatest possible expedition, giving the proceedings precedence over all other matters except older matters of the same character). See also 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1292(a)(1) (allowing for appeals from ... [i]nterlocutory orders of the district courts ... granting ... or refusing to dissolve or modify injunctions) See also note 8 infra. 6 It might be argued that it is unfair to judge the adequacy of the procedures followed by the District Court under the Act's provisions governing preliminary injunctions, in light of the fact that the District Court believed it was merely issuing a temporary restraining order. In this regard, however, we note that the proceedings were insufficient to support even the issuance of a temporary restraining order. See 29 U.S.C. Sec. 107 (a temporary restraining order may be issued upon testimony under oath, sufficient, if sustained, to justify the court in issuing a temporary injunction upon a hearing after notice); Northern Stevedoring and Handling Corp. v. International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, Local No. 60, 685 F.2d 344, 350 (9th Cir.1982) 7 Section 7 of the Norris-LaGuardia Act states, in pertinent part, that: No court of the United States shall have jurisdiction to issue a temporary or permanent injunction in any case involving or growing out of a labor dispute, as defined in this chapter, except after hearing the testimony of witnesses in open court (with opportunity for cross-examination) in support of the allegations of a complaint made under oath, and testimony in opposition thereto, if offered, and except after findings of fact by the court, to the effect-- (a) That unlawful acts have been threatened and will be committed unless restrained or have been committed and will be continued unless restrained, but no injunction or temporary restraining order shall be issued on account of any threat or unlawful act excepting against the person or persons, association, or organization making the threat or committing the unlawful act or actually authorizing or ratifying the same after actual knowledge thereof; (b) That substantial and irreparable injury to complainant's property will follow; (c) That as to each item of relief granted greater injury will be inflicted upon complainant by the denial of relief than will be inflicted upon defendants by the granting of relief; (d) That complainant has no adequate remedy at law; and (e) That the public officers charged with the duty to protect complainant's property are unable or unwilling to furnish adequate protection. Such hearing shall be held after due and personal notice thereof has been given, in such manner as the court shall direct, to all known persons against whom relief is sought, and also to the chief of those public officials of the county and city within which the unlawful acts have been threatened or committed charged with the duty to protect complainant's property: Provided, however, That if a complainant shall also allege that, unless a temporary restraining order shall be issued without notice, a substantial and irreparable injury to complainant's property will be unavoidable, such a temporary restraining order may be issued upon testimony under oath, sufficient, if sustained, to justify the court in issuing a temporary injunction upon a hearing after notice.... It is particularly important to note that Section 7 imposes more rigid restrictions upon the issuance of labor injunctions than the mere absence of an adequate remedy at law. C. MORRIS, THE DEVELOPING LABOR LAW 22 (1983). In addition, this court long ago held that where a suit involves a labor dispute, an injunction cannot be granted except to restrain unlawful acts and then only in strict conformity with the provisions of the Norris-LaGuardia Act. Green v. Obergfell, 121 F.2d 46 (D.C.Cir.1941). 8 Our conclusion that this court has appellate jurisdiction to review what amounts to a preliminary injunction renders the writ of mandamus requested by MEBA an inappropriate remedy. See Helstoski v. Meanor, 442 U.S. 500, 505-06, 99 S.Ct. 2445, 2447-48, 61 L.Ed.2d 30 (1979). If, however, the action could somehow be properly labelled a temporary restraining order and an appeal did not lie, MEBA would be entitled to issuance of the writ. One of the traditional uses of mandamus has been to confine [a district court] to a lawful exercise of its prescribed jurisdiction.... Roche v. Evaporated Milk Ass'n, 319 U.S. 21, 26, 63 S.Ct. 938, 941, 87 L.Ed. 1185 (1943), quoted in, Allied Chemical Corp. v. Daiflon, Inc., 449 U.S. 33, 35, 101 S.Ct. 188, 190, 66 L.Ed.2d 193 (1980) (per curiam). Strict compliance with the Norris-LaGuardia Act's provisions is a jurisdictional prerequisite to the issuance of temporary restraining orders concerning labor disputes. 29 U.S.C. Sec. 101. The District Court's failure to comply with the provisions regarding issuance of temporary restraining orders, id. Secs. 107, 108, thus stripped it of jurisdiction and would render mandamus an appropriate remedy were not an appeal also available. See, e.g., Truck Drivers Local Union No. 807 v. Bohack Corp., 541 F.2d 312, 317 (2d Cir.1976), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 825, 99 S.Ct. 95, 58 L.Ed.2d 117 (1978) 9 One prominent labor law scholar has properly summarized Lincoln Mills as follows: [T]he Supreme Court held that an employer which had wrongfully violated its promise to submit to grievance arbitration could be ordered to do so and that such an injunction would not violate the Norris-LaGuardia Act, either section 4 (whose listed protected activities, such as assembling and patrolling, did not include the failure to arbitrate) or section 7 (whose injunction prerequisites, such as irreparable injury to property, inadequate remedy at law and inability of public officers to furnish protection, were simply declared by the Court to be inapposite). R. GORMAN, BASIC TEXT ON LABOR LAW 606 (1976).