Pipe Trades Council of Northern California, U.A. Local 159, and U.A. Local 393 v. Underground Contractors Association of Northern California

Pipe Trades Council of Northern California (“Plumbers”) appeals from the district court’s denial of its motion to compel arbitration and the district court’s imposition of sanctions pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 11. We dismiss the Plumbers’ appeal from the denial of their motion as moot, and we affirm the award of sanctions.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

The Plumbers and the Underground Contractors Association of Northern California (“Contractors”) entered into a collective bargaining agreement in July 1980, which remained in effect through June 1986. The Plumbers had also entered a separate work jurisdiction contract in 1979 with another labor organization, Northern California District Council of Laborers (“Laborers”), to allocate work assignments between the two unions. Article VIII, paragraph 77 of the collective bargaining agreement required the Contractors to make assignments in accordance with the work jurisdiction agreement between the two unions and to abide by the rulings of the Board of Arbitration of that agreement. Article VI, which described the grievance procedures, required the parties to establish a joint employer-union panel, the Joint Conference Board, to hear…