From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Hodgson v. District No. 5, United Mine Workers of America

United States District Court, W. D. Pennsylvania
May 25, 1972
55 F.R.D. 227 (W.D. Pa. 1972)

Opinion

         In action to set aside election of district officers of union, two persons moved to intervene, individually and on behalf of organization. The District Court, McCune, J., held that where such persons were among those who originally complained to the Secretary of Labor, they would be granted leave to intervene individually, but their motion to intervene on behalf of organization would be denied and their intervention would be limited to the claims of illegality presented by the Secretary's complaint.

         Motion granted in part and denied in part.

          James Seif, Asst. U.S. Atty., Pittsburgh, Pa., L. Patrick Gray III, Asst. Atty. Gen., Civil Div., Dept. of Justice, Washington, D. C., Harland F. Leathers, Asst. Atty. Gen., Civil Div., Dept. of Justice, Washington, D. C., for plaintiff.

          Lloyd F. Engle, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa., Joseph Yablonski, Washington Research Project, Washington, D. C., Clarence R. Feldman, and Daniel B. Edelman, Washington, D. C., Kenneth Yablonski, Washington, Pa., Sam Pangburn, Washington, Pa., for defendant.


         MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

         McCUNE, District Judge.

         We now consider the motion of Louis Antal and Nick DeVince individually and on behalf of the Miners for Democracy for leave to intervene in these proceedings, in which the Secretary of Labor seeks to set aside the election of district officers in District 5 of the UMW, under Rule 24(a) or under Rule 24(b). Their intervention is opposed by the defendant and is opposed by the plaintiff for certain purposes and is not opposed by the plaintiff for other purposes.

         The Supreme Court in Trbovich v. Mine Workers, 404 U.S. 528, 92 S.Ct. 630, 30 L.Ed.2d 686 (1972) has decided the extent to which intervention shall be permitted in proceedings of this kind. Intervention by Trbovich individually in the proceeding to declare invalid the election of the officers of the national union was permitted but he was denied the right to extend the inquiry beyond that initiated by the Secretary, Trbovich v. UMW, 404 U.S. at 528, 92 S.Ct. 630.

         Antal and DeVince were among those who originally complained to the Secretary of Labor. We conclude that under the Trbovich decision, 404 U.S. at 539, 92 S.Ct. 630, Antal and DeVince should be granted leave to intervene individually. Their motion to intervene on behalf of the Miners for Democracy is denied. This intervention shall be limited to claims of illegality presented by the Secretary's complaint.


Summaries of

Hodgson v. District No. 5, United Mine Workers of America

United States District Court, W. D. Pennsylvania
May 25, 1972
55 F.R.D. 227 (W.D. Pa. 1972)
Case details for

Hodgson v. District No. 5, United Mine Workers of America

Case Details

Full title:James D. HODGSON, Secretary of Labor, United States Department of Labor…

Court:United States District Court, W. D. Pennsylvania

Date published: May 25, 1972

Citations

55 F.R.D. 227 (W.D. Pa. 1972)

Citing Cases

Brennan v. Connecticut State UAW Community Action Program Council (CAP)

          The parties to this suit do not contend that the interest of the applicants in having an illegal…