Labor lawyer Joyce Goldstein returned to the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the decision by the U.S. Supreme Court related to the Teamsters strike at Glacier Northwest. Goldstein also discussed how the votes were distributed and what this decision might mean for future of labor strikes.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the case between Glacier Northwest and Teamsters Local 174 dealing with property damage during a strike. The case found its way to the Supreme Court after previously being thrown out by the Washington State Courts. The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 in favor of Glacier Northwest. With this decision, the lawsuit is reinstated in the state of Washington.
Goldstein discussed the facts of the case and made sure to clearly point out what the decision means and what it could have been. Of the eight votes in favor of Glacier Northwest, they were split into two groups. Five justices believed there were more reasonable steps the workers could’ve taken to prevent possible damage to the employees property. There were three other justices that ruled in favor of the employer, however Goldstein points out these three justices wanted a stronger punishment against the union.
The decision reestablishes that the right to strike isn’t absolute, so if workers don’t take reasonable steps to avoid damage to the employers property they can be held responsible. It is worth noting that all of the decisions by the Supreme Court were made before any litigation had taken place, so all of the decisions were from the employer's statement, Goldstein added. She does believe that in the future unions can work with this decision and turn it around to work in their favor.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.