Alvey v. General Electric Co‪.‬

Plaintiffs1 brought this class action against their former employer, defendant General Electric Company (General Electric) and their union, defendant International Union of Electrical Radio and Machine Workers (AFL-CIO) (the International) and Local 805 of the International (the Local),2 challenging the propriety of a modification of the applicable seniority rules for recalling members laid-off from employment at General Electric's Tell City, Indiana facility. Plaintiffs object to the application of a provision of the International's constitution to deprive them, as laid-off employees, from participating in the vote among members of the Local to authorize and ratify the revised seniority rules. Plaintiffs allege also that General Electric breached its collective bargaining agreements by agreeing to the revised rules, and that the union violated their equal right to vote on union matters, a right guaranteed under the ""Bill of Rights"" provision of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (Landrum-Griffin), § 101, 73 Stat. 519 et seq., 29 U.S.C. § 401 et seq., and breached its duty of fair representation. After a jury verdict in favor of General Electric and the union, Judge Dillin entered a partial judgment in favor of General Electric on the breach of contract claim and the union on the duty of fair representation claim. Plaintiffs and the union then briefed the Landrum-Griffin Act claim, which they had previously reserved for the court. Later, Judge Dillin issued a memorandum decision in favor of the union on that claim and entered final judgment on all claims. This appeal followed.