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National Labor Relations Board v. Robbins Tire & Rubber Co.

U.S. Supreme CourtJune 15, 1978No. 77-911Cited 1138 times
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Case Details

Judge(s)
Marshall, Burger, Stewart, White, Blackmiun, Rehnquist, Stevens, Powell, Brennan
Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
Published
Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
Supreme Court decision reversing lower court ruling in favor of NLRB
Circuit
Federal Circuit

Outcome

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Robbins Tire & Rubber Co., holding that the NLRB lacked authority to compel the employer to provide union representatives with access to employee home addresses and phone numbers for organizational purposes.

What This Ruling Means

**What Happened** The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ordered Robbins Tire & Rubber Company to give union organizers the home addresses and phone numbers of their employees. The union wanted this information to contact workers at home about joining the union. The company refused, arguing they shouldn't be forced to share their employees' personal contact information with union representatives. **What the Court Decided** The Supreme Court sided with Robbins Tire & Rubber Company. The Court ruled that the NLRB does not have the legal authority to force employers to turn over employees' home addresses and phone numbers to union organizers. The company was not required to provide this personal information. **Why This Matters for Workers** This decision protects workers' privacy by preventing employers from being forced to share personal contact details with unions. However, it also makes union organizing more difficult, as organizers cannot easily reach workers at home. Workers who want to learn about unions may need to seek out information themselves or connect with organizers at work or in public spaces, since unions cannot automatically get their home contact information from their employer.

This summary was generated to explain the ruling in plain English and is not legal advice.

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