Court Opinion

ID: 9443933
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-03 19:34:21.830387+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:29:39.140141
License: Public Domain

BIGGS, Chief Judge (concurring).
This court should expressly overrule its decisions in Amalgamated Ass'n v. Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines, 3 Cir., 1951, 192 F.2d 310, 313, and Pennsylvania Greyhound Lines v. Amalgamated Ass’n, 3 Cir., 1952, 193 F.2d 327, holding that a collective bargaining agreement is a “contract of employment” within the purview of Section 1 of the Act. A collective bargaining agreement is not a contract of employment. Cf. J. I. Case Co. v. National Labor Relations Board, 1944, 321 U.S. 332, 334-336, 64 S.Ct. 576, 88 L.Ed. 762. The exclusionary provisions of Section 1 are therefore inapplicable under the circumstances at bar.
The majority view, limiting, in this case, the exclusionary provisions of Section 1 to contracts of employment of workers engaged in transporting goods in foreign or interstate commerce, is too *455narrow to be supportable. Tbe exclusion embraces contracts of workers engaged in the production of goods for interstate commerce.
I cannot accept the plaintiff’s contention that the legislative history of the Act compels the conclusion that the Act was intended to apply to commercial disputes only and not to labor disputes. The legislative history is of a kind that possesses little weight and should not be considered. Duplex Printing Press Co. v. Deering, 1921, 254 U.S. 443, 474, 41 S.Ct. 172, 65 L.Ed. 349, and United States v. Kung Chen Fur Co., 1951, 188 F.2d 577, 584, 38 Cust. & Pat.App. 107. The face of the statute must control the relief to be granted under it.
I agree with the majority that if the collective bargaining agreement provides for arbitration of the issues raised by the complaint and if Local 427 is not in default, it would be entitled to a stay under Section 3 of the Act. I, therefore, join in vacating the judgment of the court below and remanding the case for further proceedings.
Judge MARIS has authorized me to say that he agrees with me that a collective bargaining agreement is not a “contract of employment” within the purview of Section 1 of Title 9, properly interpreted.