Supreme Court’s Decision Will Not Stop Workers from Exercising Our Right to Strike

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court sided with corporations over working people in its decision in Glacier Northwest Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The case stems from a 2017 strike of truck drivers against a concrete company in Washington state.

The company filed a lawsuit in state court against the union, arguing it should be compensated for the cost of cement that hardened and became unusable after the workers walked off the job. However, the Teamsters insist they were careful to ensure the cement did not harden by keeping them running when they walked off the job to strike and it was the replacement workers that ruined the cement. The Washington Supreme Court correctly held that the National Labor Relations Board should determine whether the strike was protected, not the state courts.

Unfortunately, in a 8-1 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled that Glacier Northwest Inc. can pursue a lawsuit against the union in state court for economic damage from the strike. In a statement, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, blasted the court’s decision, pointing out that the union acted properly and the truck drivers’ strike was protected by federal law. Below is her statement.

“The court unnecessarily gave the employer another bite at the apple. The court recognized that for nearly a century, federal law has protected workers’ right to strike in order to improve workers’ wages, hours and working conditions. Unfortunately, the court then relied on unfounded allegations in the employer’s complaint that the union intended to damage the cement trucks when it called the strike. The court acknowledged that the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB’s) General Counsel investigated and found the strike was likely protected, but left it to the state courts to determine the significance of the federal finding. We are confident that the state court will now allow the NLRB to decide if the strike was, in fact, protected and the NLRB will find the union acted properly.

“This decision will in no way deter workers from going on strike. Working people are standing up for our rights and fairness in the workplace at a rate not seen in generations. Striking for justice on the job is a critical part of the labor movement’s resurgence. Public support for unions is at its highest level since 1965, and organizing drives are taking place in every state. The bottom line is that the energy, enthusiasm and effectiveness of working people cannot, and will not, slow down in the wake of this ruling. The AFL-CIO and our more than 12.5 million members will continue to fight for workers, and we know that we will succeed."