International Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers, Local 7-517, and International Oil, Chemical & Atomic Workers, International, Afl-Cio v. Uno-Ven Company

POSNER, Chief Judge.

This is a suit by a union (actually an international and one of its locals, but we can ignore that detail) against an employer and others, to enforce a collective bargaining contract. 29 U.S.C. § 185. The suit was dismissed on summary judgment, on the ground that none of the defendants is a party to the contract or otherwise bound by it. There are a couple of subsidiary issues that we take up later, but the principal issue is whether the employer, though not a signatory of the collective bargaining contract, should be bound nevertheless as an agent or successor of the…