Granite Rock Co. v. The Int'l Brotherhood of Teamsters, et al.

Case Updates

The Supreme Court ruled that a court, not an arbitrator, must decide when and whether an employer and a labor union have agreed to arbitrate a particular dispute as part of a collective bargaining agreement.

NCLC urged the Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit decision that an arbitrator should decide whether a binding contract was reached during collective bargaining negotiations between Granite Rock Company and its unionized workers. In this case, Granite Rock negotiated with Teamsters Local 287 a collective bargaining agreement providing for arbitration in lieu of worker strikes. The local union now denies ratifying the agreement. In its brief, NCLC argued that federal courts have jurisdiction to determine whether a binding contract was reached, not an arbitrator. Precedent in other arbitration cases dictates that such a decision is subject to judicial review.