Local 917, International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. National Labor Relations Board

Union's Work Preservation Effort Partially Blocked by Court

This case involved a dispute over a union's attempt to preserve jobs for its members. Local 917 of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters had a contract clause designed to protect work traditionally done by union members at Peerless Importers Inc. When the company tried to move some of this work to a different company (Diageo) that didn't employ union workers, the union attempted to enforce the clause to keep the work with union employees.

The court reached a split decision. It agreed with the National Labor Relations Board that the union violated federal labor law by trying to force the neutral company (Diageo) to use union workers when it had no existing relationship with the union. However, the court disagreed with awarding attorney's fees to Peerless Importers, reversing that part of the decision.

For workers, this ruling shows the limits of work preservation clauses in union contracts. While unions can negotiate to protect members' jobs, they cannot force unrelated companies to hire union workers. This makes it harder for unions to prevent work from being moved to non-union employers, potentially affecting job security for union members.