
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 2, 2001]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 2, 2001 and January 28, 2002]
[CITE: 29USC185]

 
                             TITLE 29--LABOR
 
                  CHAPTER 7--LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS
 
 SUBCHAPTER IV--LIABILITIES OF AND RESTRICTIONS ON LABOR AND MANAGEMENT
 
Sec. 185. Suits by and against labor organizations


(a) Venue, amount, and citizenship

    Suits for violation of contracts between an employer and a labor 
organization representing employees in an industry affecting commerce as 
defined in this chapter, or between any such labor organizations, may be 
brought in any district court of the United States having jurisdiction 
of the parties, without respect to the amount in controversy or without 
regard to the citizenship of the parties.

(b) Responsibility for acts of agent; entity for purposes of suit; 
        enforcement of money judgments

    Any labor organization which represents employees in an industry 
affecting commerce as defined in this chapter and any employer whose 
activities affect commerce as defined in this chapter shall be bound by 
the acts of its agents. Any such labor organization may sue or be sued 
as an entity and in behalf of the employees whom it represents in the 
courts of the United States. Any money judgment against a labor 
organization in a district court of the United States shall be 
enforceable only against the organization as an entity and against its 
assets, and shall not be enforceable against any individual member or 
his assets.

(c) Jurisdiction

    For the purposes of actions and proceedings by or against labor 
organizations in the district courts of the United States, district 
courts shall be deemed to have jurisdiction of a labor organization (1) 
in the district in which such organization maintains its principal 
office, or (2) in any district in which its duly authorized officers or 
agents are engaged in representing or acting for employee members.

(d) Service of process

    The service of summons, subpena, or other legal process of any court 
of the United States upon an officer or agent of a labor organization, 
in his capacity as such, shall constitute service upon the labor 
organization.

(e) Determination of question of agency

    For the purposes of this section, in determining whether any person 
is acting as an ``agent'' of another person so as to make such other 
person responsible for his acts, the question of whether the specific 
acts performed were actually authorized or subsequently ratified shall 
not be controlling.

(June 23, 1947, ch. 120, title III, Sec. 301, 61 Stat. 156.)

                       References in Text

    This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a) and (b), was in the 
original ``this Act'' meaning act June 23, 1947, ch. 120, 61 Stat. 136, 
as amended, known as the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947, which is 
classified principally to this subchapter and subchapters III (Sec. 171 
et seq.) and IV (Sec. 185 et seq.) of this chapter. For complete 
classification of this act to the Code, see Tables.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 187 of this title; title 42 
section 2297h-8.
