Court Opinion

ID: 9851701
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 05:18:00.585867+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:22:12.950477
License: Public Domain

Browning, Judge,
dissenting in part:
I am in agreement with the Court in this decision as it applies to the Homer Laughlin China Company em*88ployees and the Edwin M. Knowles China Company employees, but I respectfully dissent with regard to the holding as to the Taylor, Smith & Taylor Company employees. Prior to the enactment of Sub-section 8, Section 4, Article 6, Chapter 135, Acts of the Legislature, 1949, Regular Session, now Code, 21A-6-4(8), none of the employees involved in this litigation would have been entitled to unemployment compensation benefits under the Paden City Pottery Company case, decided on May 27, 1949, and the appellate court decisions upon which it was based. The specific purpose of the enactment of Subsection 8 by the Legislature, subsequent to the decision in the Paden City Pottery Company case, was to prevent the denial of unemployment compensation benefits to employees placed similarly to those in that case. The Legislature clearly and concisely provided that no employee would be denied unemployment compensation benefits as the result of his unemployment, due to the granting by his employer of a mass vacation, except that: “For each week in which he is unemployed because of his request, or that of his duly authorized agent, for a vacation period at a specified time that would leave the employer no other alternative but to suspend operations.” (Italics supplied.)
The Taylor Company and others engaged in similar enterprises had theretofore formed an organization known as the United States Potters Association, and the industrial contract in question was national in scope, being negotiated between this organization and the International Brotherhood of Potters, to which union the employees of the Taylor plant belonged. The pertinent provisions, relating to vacations, were contained in the contract of all employers belonging to this association and read as follows: “The employer shall decide whether all vacations by all qualified employees shall be taken at one time or whether they shall be staggered over the agreed on vacation period.” and “The vacation season shall begin June 1 and end December 31.” The Taylor Company and its employees had operated under identical contract *89provisions since the year 1944, and between that date and 1949, when this controversy arose, the employer had exercised its option under the contract to direct the taking of vacations in both of the alternatives provided, that is, on some occasions by staggered vacations, and in at least one instance by ordering a mass vacation.
The relevant facts were placed in the record by stipulation, which was apparently based upon a memorandum made by a representative of the employer at a meeting, held by representatives of the employer and certain employees which “constituted a part of the membership of the several shop committees”, on May 23,1949. The stipulation states that: “At that meeting it was concluded that there would be a vacation.” We find only these further relevant event statements in the stipulation: “At that meeting it was concluded that there would be a vacation. The vacation period was set to begin upon July 4 and end on July 17. The meeting had taken place on May 23, and a memorandum of the meeting reflected the fact that a request that a specific time be set had been made by persons speaking for the employees.” On May 29, 1949, a notice was posted on the bulletin board at the place of business of the employer, captioned NOTICE TO ALL EMPLOYEES VACATION PERIOD. The first paragraph of that notice says: “In accordance with the terms of our contract, operations will be suspended for two weeks commencing on Monday, July 4 and ending on Sunday, July 17, 1949.”
The trial court in reviewing the facts as they have been stated above said: “As I see it, this was tantmount to a request for a vacation.” I do not agree with that conclusion, nor with the statement contained in the majority opinion that: “The Taylor Company however, is clearly within the provisions of Sub-section 8, idem, having been requested by the representatives of its employees to have a mass vacation at a specified time, which left the employer no alternative except to close the plant.* * *” This employer, by the definite, concise and unambiguous provisions of its contract with the employees, had the choice *90of granting a mass vacation or staggered vacation, and the right to fix the time at any period that it chose between June 1 and December 31.
The informal meeting held between certain employees, who apparently held minor positions in the local union of the plant, and the representatives of the employer, at which no demands were made on behalf of the employees, no threats of a strike or other action to force the employer to give up the alternative choices which he had by virtue of his contract, did not remove from the employer the alternative choices as to vacations which that contract had so clearly given it. There was no effort on the part of the employees of this plant to change or modify the provisions of the union contract, and the meeting on May 23 was nothing more than an informal session between employees and representatives of the employer for the purpose of fixing a vacation period, and the employer is to be commended for considering the wishes of his employees in that regard. However, if the employer chose to do so, it could have informed the shop committeemen that from the company’s standpoint, it was desirable that staggered vacations be held during 1949 rather than a mass vacation, or that a mass vacation was to be held, but that it was not advantageous to the company to have the vacation period at a time desirable to the employees, and pointing to the explicit terms of its contract with the bargaining agent for those employees, they would have no recourse other than to accept the decision of the employer. It is true that once it was decided to have a mass vacation at a specified time that the employer was left with no alternative except to close the plant, but he had the alternative of directing that there be no mass vacation at all that year, and if its employees did not comply with the company’s decision in that regard, it would have recourse to the laws of this State and to the National Labor Relations Act, usually known as the Taft-Hartley Law, if the employees of- that plant had refused to comply with its directive, and thereby violated the provisions of. the contract.
*91The record is vague as to exactly who made the request for a mass vacation, what authority they possessed to make such request, their authority to speak for all employees and whether any employee who now seeks unemployment compensation benefits appeared and joined in such request, thereby waiving his right to benefits. It is doubtful, but immaterial, whether the shop stewards had authority at the informal meeting on May 23 to speak for the employees of the plant who would be affected by the granting of a mass vacation, their “duly authorized agent”, the International Brotherhood of Potters, having entered into a contract with the employer, regarding vacations upon which they could rely, and which contract did not confer any authority upon the shop committeemen to revoke or alter it in any manner. However, assuming authority in the committeemen, and that a request was made, the employer still had at least three alternatives: (1) It could have acceded to the request for a mass vacation and fixed the time as requested; (2) it could have refused the request and directed that the vacation be staggered over the period provided by the contract; or (3) it could have acceded to the request for a mass vacation, but selected a different time when it would occur.
I am in accord with the statements contained in the majority opinion to the effect that the unemployment compensation act is remedial in nature, that its beneficent provisions should be liberally applied, and that Sub-section 8, being an exclusionary provision which denies the payment of compensation to those voluntarily unemployed, should be strictly applied.
Applying these principles of law to the facts in this case, I would reverse the ruling of the Circuit Court of Kanawha County, wherein unemployment compensation benefits were denied to such employees of the Taylor Company, as were eligible therefor, as a result of the mass vacation called by the employer for the period of July 4 to July 17, 1949.