Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union No. 174

Issue

Whether a company can sue a labor union for intentional property damage of the company’s property during a strike? A Washington Supreme Court decision held that the property damage claims in this case against the labor union were preempted by the National Labor Relations Act.

June 15, 2022

The Restaurant Law Center filed a brief in support of Glacier Northwest, arguing that, for at least 40 years, SCOTUS has been clear that the NLRA does not immunize unions that intentionally destroy an employer’s property by preempting state law tort suits against them.

November 8, 2022

The Restaurant Law Center and co-amici filed another brief, arguing that preempting claims for the intentional destruction of property would leave employers without a remedy, encourage unlawful behavior and upset the careful balance of power between employers and employees. Furthermore, we argue that allowing the intentional destruction of employer property would harm local communities by barring them from prohibiting such activity — precisely the type of lawlessness that localities should be able to address and that state courts should be able to remedy.