Cecil L. Archer v. Airline Pilots Association International

Plaintiff-Appellant Cecil L. Archer, a disabled pilot, sued his union, defendant-appel-lee Air Line Pilots Association International (ALPA), under the Railway Labor Act, 45 U.S.C. § 151 et seq., for allegedly breaching its duty of fair representation by failing to process properly Archer’s insurance grievance. The district court granted summary judgment in ALPA’s favor. We affirm.

On March 13, 1969, Braniff Airways, Inc., Archer’s employer, and ALPA signed a Letter of Agreement which provided that Braniff would make available to its pilots specified amounts of group insurance coverage. Pursuant to this agreement, Braniff secured several group policies from Connecticut General Life Insurance Company. Braniff paid the premium for the basic life insurance policy, under the terms of which $10,000 was payable upon the death or disability of a pilot. In addition to the basic coverage, pilots were given the option of obtaining supplemental life and disability insurance at their own expense. Archer alleges that he filed timely applications for a $40,000, supplemental life insurance policy and a $1,500 per month disability insurance policy. On April 20, 1969, Archer was hospitalized; he…