Merritt

Defendant and appellant Kenneth B. Merritt appeals from a judgment confirming an arbitration award. (Code Civ. Proc., §§ 1287.4, 1294, subd. (d).) Appellant contends that the arbitration award was not against appellant individually, but against a corporation, Slopes, Inc., of which appellant was an officer, and that therefore the trial court erred in rendering a judgment against appellant individually.

Plaintiff and respondent Southern California Pipe Trades District Council No. 16, AFL-CIO, is the exclusive bargaining representative for a number of local unions. On July 1, 1977, it entered into a written collective bargaining agreement with Slopes, Inc., a corporation engaged in contract plumbing, landscaping, and sewer work. The agreement was signed by appellant Merritt as an officer of the firm. The agreement incorporated the provisions of a printed master agreement between respondent and the California Landscape and Irrigation Council, Inc. (CLIC), including provisions for the payment by employers of contributions to the Southern California Pipe Trades trust funds on account of employee fringe benefits, and grievance and arbitration procedures.

On March 2, 1978, a…