National Labor Relations Board v. United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, Local No. 741

The National Labor Relations Board petitions this court to enforce its order in 259 N.L.R.B. No. 123, arising out of a jurisdictional dispute between the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry, Local Union No. 741 and the Laborers’ International Union of North America, Local No. 479.

The Ashton Company was awarded a contract by the American Smelting and Refining Company to construct a replacement flotation circuit at the Mission Copper Mine at Sahuarita, Arizona. At a prejob conference Ashton announced that it was assigning the process piping work on the project to its employees represented by the Laborers. The Plumbers local protested and through its international union filed a claim to the process piping work with the AFLCIO’s Impartial Jurisdictional Disputes Board (IJDB). Ashton and its collective bargaining representative, the Arizona Chapter of the Associated General Contractors (the AGC) informed the IJDB that it would not appear at the IJDB hearing and would not abide by its decision. The IJDB awarded the process piping work to the Plumbers.

The Plumbers demanded that Ashton honor the IJDB decision and reassign the work…