A well deserved smack down delivered by the Supreme Court in response to malicious and destructive union behavior (Glacier v Teamsters)

Opinion of the Court in GLACIER NORTHWEST, INC., DBA CALPORTLAND v. INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF TEAMSTERS LOCAL UNION NO. 174.

BARRETT, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which ROBERTS, C. J., and SOTOMAYOR, KAGAN, and KAVANAUGH, JJ., joined. THOMAS, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment, in which GORSUCH, J., joined. ALITO, J., filed an opinion concurring in the judgment, in which THOMAS and GORSUCH, JJ., joined. JACKSON, J., filed a dissenting opinion.

8 to 1, with only Justice Jackson dissenting.

The union members, on the pretense of showing up to work (but with the real intention of striking), reported to Glacier’s site for concrete loading. The concrete was prepared and loaded on the trucks, at which time the union members took off on strike.

Fortunately, the company was able to save its trucks, but the concrete was all wasted.

The company sued the union but lower courts barred the suit as being preempted under the NLRB.

The Supreme Court today reversed that judgement and as a result, the company will be able to sue and recover its losses from a MALICIOUS and DELIBERATE tort by the union.

Regardless of how you may feel about unions in general, no union has the right to engage in such malicious and destructive behavior. The union should have informed the company they were going on strike in the early morning hours, thereby allowing the company NOT to prepare the concrete or load it in the trucks.

Instead, the union behaved in a way that could have resulted not only in the waste of the concrete, but the destruction of the concrete trucks, if the concrete had hardened inside of them. Thankfully, the company was able to empty the trucks without damage, but the concrete was still wasted.

A valid tort case by the company and I am glad they will now be able to force the union to compensate them for the wasted concrete.

And this will be an example for other unions that might have been contemplating such despicable conduct.

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they showed up to work and then went on strike.

thats highly highly unethical.

Allan

Kinda like a surgeon who opens you up and then goes on vacation…

Typical union behavior.

i have been in the union for 36 years and my union never acted that way.

its a one off.

most union that strike set up a picket lime after a strike has been called for.
that union did not set-one up until after the workday started. yikes.

as i said very unethical. they got their hands caught in the cookie jar and paid the price.

Allan

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The behavior of the union members was completely unacceptable, how does one agree with this?

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A friend of mine was raised in Boston and has some very interesting stories on how the Unions there shake down their clients. Hopefully, this ruling will send a message.

Why does something like this get all the way to the Supreme Court?

Are you a Teamster?

Wishful thinking. Union bosses think they’re untouchable. Richard Trumka comes to mind that promised votes for favors
Whinegarden is another perfect example of a union “leader” that puts union activism ahead of the rank and file mission. The AFT should be the next union organization dragged into court and sued for the destructive policies endorsed by Whinegarden and the effects it had on American school children.

…kind of reminds me of the goverrnment instituted “two week lockdown” that went on for two years. They NEVER intended it to be just two weeks. That too was a malicious lie that our country is still paying a high price for. Surely this sets the precedent allowing we the people to sue our government?

nope CWA (communications workers of America).

Allan

Trumka jr is the one who wanted to ban gas stoves too.