Friends of Ellis Boal - Detailed Biography

Education and Employment

North Shore Country Day School, Winnetka, Illinois, 1962.

Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia, exchange student, no degree, 1964.

Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, AB, cum laude, ΦBK, Hammond Prize for distinction and high honors in math, letters in track, cross-country, and nordics, numerals in lacrosse, 1966.

University of Chicago, Math Department, NSF Fellow, no degree, 1966-67.

Peace Corps training (Afghanistan), Fort Lupton, Colorado, 1967.

Math teacher, Crane Technical High School and Holden Branch of Tilden High School, Chicago Public Schools, 1967-69.

Bus/taxi driver, day labor, travel, Chicago, 1969.

University of Michigan Law School, Ann Arbor, no degree, 1969-70.

Law Students Civil Rights Research Counsel, Fellow, Detroit, 1970.

Boone's Farm Commune, Detroit, 1970-72.

Fifth Estate Newspaper, Detroit, writing, layout, distribution, 1970-71.

Wayne State University Law School, Detroit, JD, 1971-72.

Lafferty, Reosti, Jabara, Papakhian, James, Detroit, law clerk and lawyer, general practice, 1973-74.

Solo practice, labor and employment law, Detroit, 1974-2000.

Part-time solo practice, labor, employment, criminal law, Native-American law, Charlevoix, 2000-14.

Admissions and Practices

First, Sixth, Seventh, and DC Circuit Courts of Appeal, US Supreme Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, Northern District of Ohio, Middle District of Tennessee, District of Nevada, Middle District of North Corolina, District of Puerto Rico, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Tribal Court, National Labor Relations Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Michigan Employment Relations Commission, Michigan Unemployment Agency, Michigan Civil Service Commission, Michigan Board of Nursing, Michigan Public Service Commission.

Court, Agency, Arbitration Decisions

Weiss v City of Chicago, 51 Ill2d 113, 281 NE2d 310 (1971), cert denied 409 US 896, 93 S Ct 122 (1972)

City of Detroit Department of Parks and Recreation, 1973 MERC Lab Op 857

Local 547 Operating Engineers v Henry Ford Hospital, 59 MichApp 625, 229 NW2d 925, 89 LRRM 3101 (Mich App, 1975)

Automobile Transport v Ferdnance, 420 F Supp 75, 92 LRRM 3610 (ED Mich, 1976)

Chrysler Corp, 232 NLRB 466, 96 LRRM 1382 (1977), review denied, 1979 WL 6182, 125 LRRM 3063 (CADC, 1979)

Ferdnance v Automobile Transport, 460 F Supp 1206, 100 LRRM 2045 (ED Mich, 1978)

Michigan Bell Telephone Co, 240 NLRB # 155, 100 LRRM 1439 (1979)

National Steel Corp Great Lakes Steel Division, 236 NLRB # 115, 98 LRRM 1551 (1978), aff'd 625 F2d 131, 104 LRRM 3156 (CA6, 1980)

Efraín Maceira was an elected steward in Teamsters Local 901 in Puerto Rico when the leadership removed him for his outspoken dissident free speech activities. Boal travelled to the island four times in 1980-83 to sue in the federal district court there. After an initial setback, the court of appeals in Boston ordered a preliminary injunction reinstating Maceira. Judge Stephen Breyer wrote the opinion. The parties settled backpay and damages, and the lower court ordered the union to pay Boal's fees and expenses. Back on appeal, Judge Breyer approved the fees, including a 25% enhancement due the unclarity of the law and the odds against the case succeeding at the outset, and another 25% enhancement due to the excellence of Boal's work. Breyer's first opinion was reprinted in full in Summers, Wellington & Hyde: Labor Law, Second Edition (1982), pp 1335-45. Today Breyer sits on the Supreme Court.

Maceira v Pagán, 501 FSupp 641 (D Puerto Rico, 1980)

Maceira v Pagán, 649 F2d 8, 107 LRRM 2408 (CA1, 1981)

Fleet Carrier Corp, NLRB ALJ Decision JD-372-81 (1981)

Associated Truck Lines v NLRB, 653 F2d 241, 106 LRRM 2242 (CA6, 1981)

Groendyk v NLRB, 672 F2d 894, 111 LRRM 2280 (CADC, 1981)

Central Storage & Transfer Co, 263 NLRB 806, 111 LRRM 1097 (1982)

Maceira v Pagán, 698 F2d 38, 112 LRRM 3017 (CA1, 1983)

Anchor Motor Freight v Teamsters Local 377, 700 F2d 1067, 112 LRRM 2928 (CA6, 1983)

Williams v Pressure Vessel Service, Michigan court of appeals case # 55890, (7/12/83), appeal dismissed by stipulation, Michigan supreme court case # 72573 (9/6/84)

Romero v Paragon Steel, 129 Mich App 566, 341 NW2d 546, 118 LRRM 2251 (Mich App, 1983)

Prill v NLRB, 755 F2d 941, 118 LRRM 2649 (CADC, 1985)

Lewis v NLRB, 779 F2d 12, 120 LRRM 3559 (CA6, 1985)

UAW v Michigan Department of Mental Health, AAA case # 54-39-1371-85 (Lyons, 5/27/86)

Luna v Ford Motor Co, 787 F2d 591, 1986 WL16653 (CA6, 1986)

Prill v NLRB, 835 F2d 1481, 127 LRRM 2415 (CADC, 1987)

Apperson v Fleet Carrier, 131 LRRM 2596 (ED Mich, 1987)

Jones v Teamsters Local 299, 838 F2d 856, 45 FEP 1721 (CA6, 1988)

Apperson v Fleet Carrier, 879 F2d 1344, 131 LRRM 3079 (CA6, 1989)

Hunter v Wayne-Westland Community School District, 174 Mich App 330, 435 NW2d 483 (MichApp, 1989)

Ryan v General Motors, 929 F2d 1105, 136 LRRM 2995 (CA6, 1989)

H O Trerice, NLRB ALJ Decision # JD-236-89 (1989)

Conaway v FAA, Appeal UCF-81-89419, UCF-81-8703 (MESC Board of Review, 1/2/90)

King v Detroit Lions, 748 F Supp 488 (ED Mich, 1990)

Jurlean Tandy RN, Michigan Board of Nursing Docket No 90-0333 (1991)

Harvis v Roadway Express, 923 F2d 59, 54 FEP 1327, (CA6, 1991)

UAW Local 594 v UAW, 956 F2d 1330, 139 LRRM 2549 (CA6, 1992)

Harvis v Roadway Express, 973 F2d 490, 61 FEP 91 (CA6, 1992)

Callaway and Godboldo v Michigan Dept of Mental Health, ___ Mich App ___, appeal denied, 439 Mich 972, 483 NW2d 378 (1992)

Jones v Cassens Transport, 982 F2d 983, 142 LRRM 2251, 60 FEP 950 (CA6, 1993)

Clark v Esser, 821 F Supp 1230, 144 LRRM 2325 (ED Mich, 1993)

Kunz v UFCW Local 876, 5 F3d 1006, 144 LRRM 2345 (CA6, 1993)

Charter Township of Ypsilanti v General Motors, 201 Mich App 128, 506 NW2d 556, 62 USLW 2150, 8 IER 1165, (1993), leave to appeal denied, 443 Mich 882, 509 NW2d 152, 8 IER Cases 1344 (1993)

Cook v City of Pontiac, Michigan court of appeals, case # 151647L, 11/30/94, not reported

Dearborn Public Schools, 1994 MERC Lab Op 254

Rivers v Roadway Express, 511 US 298, 114 SCt 1510 (1994)

Electromation v NLRB, 35 F3d 1148, 147 LRRM 2257 (CA7, 1994)

Clark v Esser, 907 F Supp 1069, 151 LRRM 2087 (ED Mich, 1995)

Ellis Boal and Ken Prill after oral argument of Meyers Industries, at the DC court of appeals in 1985. Prill, a nonunion truck driver, had been fired for refusing an order to drive an unsafe truck. The truck had caused an accident on I-75 in Tennessee and was tagged out of service. The Labor Board upheld the discharge because Prill had acted alone in his refusal, even though truck drivers always work alone and even though another driver had earlier refused the same truck for the same reason. Editorials in the New York Times and other papers across the country denounced the ruling, arguing that Prill's courageous action benefitted the driving public as well as other truckers. The court of appeals ordered the Labor Board to re-think its decision. The Board did, but came up with the same result, later affirmed by the court. Meyers Industries is the most widely-cited precedent in federal labor law today on the meaning of its core protection, that workers have the right to engage in "concerted activities for mutual aid or proctection."

Harvey v Hollenback, 113 F3d 639, 155 LRRM 2303 (CA6, 1997)

NAACP - Flint Chapter v Governor of Michigan, 1998 WL 1988800 (Mich App, 1998)

Kloock v US Postal Service, EEOC OFO Appeal Nos 01972840 (1998), 10974955 (1999), 05A00047 (2002), 01A31159 (2004), Petition No 04A40012 (2004)

Hoskins v UAW Local 1953 and Saturn Corp, 188 F3d 507, 1999 WL 618074 (CA6, 1999)

Ekpe v Detroit Board of Education, 2000 WL 33522324 (Mich App, 2000)

Triangle Electric Co, 335 NLRB 1037, 2001 WL 1126578, 169 LRRM 1146 (2001), enf denied, 78 Fed Appx 469, 2003 WL 22361017, 173 LRRM 2576 (CA6, 2003)

Estate of Batson and Keels v AC Rochester Division Delco Electronics Corp, 2003 WL 1904352 (Mich App, 2003)

United Parcel Service, 340 NLRB # 89 (2003), enf'd, CA6 case ## 04-1049, 04-1246, 5/18/05

Davis v UAW, 390 F3d 908, (CA6, 2004), cert denied 125 SCt 1984 (2005)

Fowler v UAW, 2006 WL 456012, 2006 FedApp 0143N (CA6, 2006)

UAW v GM, 2006 WL 891151 (ED Mich, 2006)

UAW v Ford, 2006 WL 1984363, 39 Employee Benefits Cases 1896 (ED Mich, 2006)

Carey v Victories Casino (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Appellate Court, 2007

Carey v Victories Casino (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Appellate Court, 2008

Carey v Espinosa (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Appellate Court, 2011

Hughes v DEQ, 2014 WL 547648 (Mich App 2014)

Buggs and Bonamie v MPSC (Mich App 2015)

Grandvue Medical Care Facility v Renkiewicz and Wood (Mich App 2015)

UAW Appeal Decisions

Webster v Local 51, 2 PRB 856 (1981)

Bier v Local 2500, 5 PRB 805 (1990)

Yettaw v Local 599, 6 PRB 236 (1992)

Grant v Local 163, 6 PRB 472 (1992)

Ware v Local 1264, CAC (10/5/92)*

Funti v GM Department, CAC (11/17/93)*

Yettaw v Local 599, 8 PRB 31 (1995)

Eastman v Local 1292, 8 PRB 49 (1993)

Douglas v UAW, 8 PRB 331 (1994)

Hale v Local 326, 9 PRB 35 (1995)

Yearbook picture, touring with the Morehouse College Glee Club, spring, 1964.

Johnson v Local 7, CAC (5/7/96)*

Hoskins v Local 1853, CAC (5/7/96)*

Perez v Local 1853, CAC (6/19/96)*

Thompson v GM Department, 9 PRB 64 (1996)

Feldman v Local 900, 9 PRB 332 (1997)

Gardner v Local 598, CAC (10/28/97)*

McTaggart v Local 699, CAC (10/28/97)*

Vogen v Local 900, 9 PRB 614 (1998)

Vogen v Local 900, 9 PRB 624 (2000), reconsideration denied (7/19/00)

Shillings v Local 2195, CAC (10/20/98)*

Noall v Local 599, PRB case 1261 (6/29/99)

Butina appealing Petty v Local 1264, PRB case 1273 (6/22/00)

Reed v UAW, PRB case 1290 (1/25/02)

Local 2036 v UAW, PRB case 1325 (4/26/01)

Karras v Local 653, PRB case 1332 (3/7/01), reconsideration denied (5/11/01)

Colley v Local 235, PRB case 1342 (8/8/01)

Badalamento v Ford Department, PRB case 1394 (11/11/02)

Davis v UAW, PRB case 1441 (4/15/03)

Gaston-Kelley v DaimlerChrysler Department, PRB Case 1476 (4/12/05)

Karras v Local 653, PRB Case 1512 (11/22/05)

Reighard v UAW, PRB Case 1532 (1/24/06)

Fetting v GM Department, CAC (5/26/06)

Reighard v UAW, PRB Case 1532 II (6/27/06)

Lombard v UAW, PRB Case 1525 (11/15/06), reconsideration denied (1/20/07)

Lapso v Local 1250, PRB Case 1550 (2/20/07)

Sorice v Region 1, IEB Decision (8/6/07)

Del Morone v UAW, CAC, session 6/09

Lett v IEB, CAC, session 6/09

Leonard v UAW, CAC, session 6/09

Hendley v Region 1, PRB Case 1628 (1/25/10)

Estrada v GM Department, PRB Case 1659 (4/13/11)

Manion v UAW National Ford Department, IEB Decision (5/13/13)

Windau v IEB, PRB Case 1686 (7/8/13)

* hearing date

Writings

Running, at the wall in Abu Dis (Bethany), near Jerusalem, 2004.

Unique Factorization of Ideals in Finite Algebraic Number Fields, Honors Paper, Math Department, Bowdoin College, 1966

The Law: The Point of View of a Crook, unpublished, spring, 1970.

Pieces Now: Federal, Michigan, and Detroit Gun Law, appendix to International Liberation School: Firearms and Self-Defense, A Handbook for Radicals, Revolutionaries, and Easy Riders, Radical Education Project edition, Detroit, December, 1970, p 41 (with Motor City Lawyers Guild)

Dodge Truck Strike, In The Struggle, Detroit, July, 1974, p ___

Dodge Truck, The Struggle Continues, In The Struggle, Detroit, November, 1975, p 3

TDU: Rank and File Tackle Teamsters, Guild Notes, [vol VI # 4] August 1977, p 9

New Law Strikes At Wildcats, Guild Notes, vol VII # 1, April 1978, p 1

Teamster Rank & File Legal Rights Handbook, Teamster Rank & File Education and Legal Defense Foundation, 1978

Teamster Rank & File Legal Rights Handbook, Revised Edition, Teamster Rank & File Education and Legal Defense Foundation, 1984

Biographical sketch, Who's Who in American Law, Marquis Who's Who, 1985-86, p 51

Forum: NLRB at 50, Whether the Board is out of step with the growth of quality of worklife programs designed to encourage employee particpation and involvement in workplace decisions, BNA Employee Relations Weekly, 5/6/85, vol 3 p 570 (debate with Thomas J. Schneider)

Legal Challenges to QWL, in Mike Parker, Inside The Circle, A Union Guide To QWL, South End Press, Boston, 1985, p 95

"Quality of Work Life" Plans: Who Represents the Workers?, Guild Notes, vol X # 1, winter 1986, p 8 (with Leo Whelan)

Team Concept And The Law, in Mike Parker and Jane Slaughter, Choosing Sides: Unions and the Team Concept, South End Press, Boston, 1988, p 48

Various sidebars and footnotes in A Troublemaker's Handbook, How to Fight Back Where You Work -- and Win!, Dan La Botz (Labor Notes, 1991)

Will Labor Board Bring Back Company Unions?, Labor Notes # 160, July, 1992, p 8

Employee "Cooperation" Plans Still Illegal, Labor Board Rules In Electromation Case, Labor Notes # 167, February, 1993, p 3

The Soul of Labor: Electromation and Cooperative Committees, Multinational Monitor, vol 14 # 4, April, 1993, p 27

Du Pont's Committees Are Employer-Dominated, Labor Board Says, Labor Notes # 172, July, 1993, p 16.

The Independence of Labor: A Critique of the Proposed Teamwork for Employees and Management Act, submission to Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations, US Department of Labor, October 1, 1993 (principal author, with Labor Notes staff)

What The Law Says Now, Labor Notes # 177, December 1993, p 10

The Dunlop Commission Fact-Finding Report, May 1994, Analysis and Comment, August 4, 1994

Employee Participation or Labor Militancy, remarks for Labor Notes to the Commission on the Future of Worker-Management Relations, US Department of Labor, September 8, 1994

Winning and Losing with Employee Participation, Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, vol 4 # 1, fall, 1994, p 47

Legal Status of Participation Programs, in Mike Parker and Jane Slaughter, Working Smart: A Union Guide to Participation Programs and Reengineering, Labor Notes, Detroit, 1994, p 216

Labor's Next Hit, Sugar Law Center # 4, April, 1995, p 7

Legal Rights in the Workplace: Democracy and the Team Bill, Against The Current, Vol XI # 3 (new series), July-August, 1996, p 11

Civil Rights in the National Labor Relations Act: Protected Concerted Activity and Individual Action Under Section 7: Will Alleluia Cushion Resurface?, Labor Law Journal, vol 48 # 12, December, 1997, p 693

Individual Protest as Concerted Activity: The NLRA as a Civil Rights Statute, NLG Labor & Employment Committee Newsletter, May, 1998, p 10

Courts Line Up Behind Scab Papers: Doing the DNA Rag, Against The Current, Vol XV # 4 (new series), September-October, 2000, p 4.

Majority rule at Northern Michigan Hospital, Petoskey News-Review, July 16, 2003, p 5

Forum: Nurses' strike a righteous struggle, Traverse City Record-Eagle, July 27, 2003

Palestinians' Right to Return, Guild Notes, volume XXVIII # 2, summer 2004, p 1

Labor Board to Non-Union Workers: 'You're on Your own When You Face the Boss', Labor Notes # 305, August 2004, p 3

Various sidebars and footnotes in A Troublemaker's Handbook 2, How to Fight Back Where You Work and Win!, ed Jane Slaugher (Labor Notes, 2005)

Commissioners need a better method for determining public officials' pay, Petoskey News-Review, October 12, 2004, p 4

Arafat: A critical appreciation, Petoskey News-Review, November 19, 2004, p 4

Bring the troops home now, Petoskey News-Review, September 22, 2005, p 4

Rep. Stupak, we need a forum on Iraq, Petoskey News-Review, November 8, 2005, p 4

. . . And Leave No Bases Behind, Remarks on behalf of Northern Michigan People for Peace, meeting with Senator Carl Levin, Traverse City, December 2, 2005, remarks revised December 8, 2005

Regarding 'Social Contract', Petoskey News-Review, May 11, 2006, p 4

Forum: On immigration and the 'Social Contract", Traverse City Record-Eagle, October 26, 2007

Forum: Fracking - shake hands with devil, Traverse City Record-Eagle, April 9, 2011

Judge stops US-record frack wells in Michigan, Ernst v Encana Corporation, December 23, 2013

New York, Pennsylvania courts uphold township fracking bans; Michigan next?, Ban Michigan Fracking, July 10, 2014

Websites

Friends of Ellis Boal, http://ellisboal.org, 2004-present

Labor Notes, http://labornotes.org, 2001-12

Internal UAW Appeals, http://ellisboal.com, 2004-13

Music Of The Detroit Newspaper Strike, http://members.aol.com/dnarag/, 1996-2000 (no longer maintained)

Training With Marilyn, http://members.aol.com/mariruns/, 1997-98 (no longer maintained)

Rooms With Views, http://members.aol.com/stewartsfolly/italy.htm, 2001 (no longer maintained)

Up North Green Party, http://upnorthgreenparty.org, 2002-03 (with Bob Hamil, no longer maintained)

Israel, the Rule of Law, and the Subjugation, of Palestinians in Israelís Imagined Democracy, Report of the National Lawyers Guild, Emergency Delegation to the West Bank, May 16-24, 2002, http://www.inthenameofsecurity.org/html/report/report1.html, 2003 (Christopher Zucker, primary designer, no longer maintained)

National lawyers Guild, Middle East Sub-committee, http://www.nlg.org/mideast/, 2005-08

Don't Frack Michigan, http://dontfrackmichigan.org, 2011

CDs

500 Days, various artists, Metro Council of Newspaper Unions, Detroit, December, 1996 (with Bob Vasseur)

Autumn Leaves, Charlevoix Men's Glee Club, November, 2001

Nanisivik, NWT, 1991. Clips excerpted from Nutaaq Media's "Running the Midnight Sun"

Don't Fence Me In, Ellis Boal, 2005

NCMC Computer Courses

Computer information and networking courses at NCMC in 2001-04, includuing programming (visual basic, java, c++), database management, operating systems (pc, linux), pc hardware, and networking. Instructors: Joseph Palm, Fred Harrington, Howard Bates, Lisa Morris, Paul Fifer, David Wisely, Eugene Branigan.

Other Activities

Sky diving: Jump Log

First Dan, Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, Detroit, 11/4/73

Candidate, Green Party, Charlevoix County Prosecutor, 2054 votes (18.39%), 2004

Candidate, Green Party, Charlevoix County Commissioner, 43 votes (6.37%), 2006

Candidate, Green Party, University of Michigan Regent, 102,158 votes (1%), 2008

Candidate, Green Party, Michigan First Congressional District, 2,072 votes (1%), 2010

Candidate, Green Party, Michigan First Congressional District, 4,168 votes (1%), 2012

This Is Our Town, Charlevoix, steering committee member, 2003-04

Citizens to Save Health Care, Petoskey, 2003-05

Horton Bay Parade, Phineas Mouse Club, 1990-2000

Another Way Peace Coalition, forum organizer, North Central Michigan College, 3/6/02, 4/7/02, 9/26/02, 10/10/02, 3/19/03, 4/23/03, 10/9/03, 10/14/04

Northern Michigan People for Peace, rally organizer, Petoskey, 10/26/02, 1/18/03, 2/15/03, 3/15/03 (bus to DC), 10/25/03, 9/24/05, 3/18/06, 5/20/06, 12/23/06

Ban Michigan Fracking and Committee To Ban Fracking In Michigan, 2011-14

Running, xc skiing, 2000+ miles/year. Lifetime: 80,510 miles as of 12/31/20. Selected personal records:

White Pines (ski) 50k, Mancelona, 2001, 2:45:09
Free Press Marathon, Detroit, 1986, 2:36:42
Midnight Sun Marathon, Nanisivik, NWT, 1991, 3:14:59
Old Kent 25k, Grand Rapids, 1987, 1:32:34
Crim 10-Mile, Flint, 1984, 56:06
Dexter-Ann Arbor half-marathon, 1986, 1:14:48
Blue Cross 10k, Detroit, 1985, 34:44
Indoor 2-mile, Brunswick, 1965, 10:12

Factoring 7-digit integers with the Sieve of Eratosthenes (2002)

Cole Porter's Don't Fence Me In

Self-Proving Arithmetic Operations on Most Integers, a calculation program with proved answers for numbers to +/- 100 billion trillion quadrillion, in C++ language (2003)

Finland Station, folk quintet, guitar, bass, flute, vocals, writing, arranging, Detroit, 1979-89

Charlevoix Men's Glee Club, 2000-present, bass, guitar, electric bass

Up North Green Party, co-chair, Charlevoix County, Michigan, 2000-06

Solidarity, member, 1977-present

Photography

Juggling, unicycle

Occasional verse

Personal

9/27/44, born

8/11/79, married Marilyn Morehead, no children

12/10/04, divorced

7/28/12, married LuAnne Kozma

Paid for by Friends of Ellis Boal
9330 Woods Road
Charlevoix, MI, 49720
231/547-2626