Skip to main content

United Parcel Service, Inc., Petitioner/cross-Respondent v. National Labor Relations Board, Respondent/cross-Petitioner, David Dunning, Intervenor

6th CircuitJune 29, 2000No. 99-5226, 99-5031Cited 19 times
Facing something similar at work?Check your rights — free, private, no sign-up

Case Details

Judge(s)
Siler, Gilman, O'Malley
Status — whether other courts must follow this ruling
Published
Procedural Posture — the stage the case had reached
appeal

Related Laws

No specific laws identified for this ruling.

Outcome

The Sixth Circuit affirmed the NLRB's decision that UPS violated the National Labor Relations Act by prohibiting union literature distribution in non-work and mixed areas and by removing union materials from a union bulletin board.

What This Ruling Means

**UPS vs. National Labor Relations Board: Union Rights at Work** This case involved a dispute between UPS and its employees over union activities at work. UPS had prohibited workers from distributing union materials in certain areas of their facilities, including break rooms and other non-work spaces where employees gather during their free time. The company also removed union materials from official union bulletin boards. A UPS employee named David Dunning was involved in the case, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) investigated these actions. The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against UPS, agreeing with the NLRB that the company had violated federal labor law. The court found that UPS illegally restricted workers' rights to distribute union literature in areas where employees spend their non-work time, and that removing materials from union bulletin boards was also unlawful. **What This Means for Workers:** This ruling reinforces that employees have protected rights to engage in union activities during their free time at work, even on company property. Employers cannot broadly prohibit union materials in break rooms or similar spaces where workers gather during breaks or lunch. However, companies can still restrict union activities in actual work areas where it might interfere with productivity.

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

Browse Related

Facing something similar at work?

Court rulings like this one are useful, but every situation is different. Take 2 minutes to see which laws may protect you — it's free, private, and no account is required to start.

This ruling information is sourced from public court records via CourtListener.com. Case outcomes, claim types, and summaries are extracted using AI analysis and may be incomplete or inaccurate. It is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

See something wrong, or named in this ruling and want it corrected or redacted? Request a correction.