In a blow to Democrats, the Supreme Court ruled eight to one this week that union bosses cannot avoid civil liability for deliberate property damage caused during strikes.
According to the Daily Caller, the decision came on Thursday in Glacier Northwest v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 174.
Glacier Northwest is a Washington-based concrete company, and it sued the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 174 over $100,000 worth of property damages that the union ordered during a 2017 strike.
The decision was welcomed by Mark Mix, who serves as president of the National Right to Work Foundation. The Daily Caller noted that his organization filed an amicus brief in the case.
"The Supreme Court correctly ruled that union officials should not be granted immunity from state lawsuits over deliberate property damage perpetrated during union strike actions," Mix declared.
"The issue in Glacier Northwest, however, represents only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to union bosses’ special legal privileges – especially concerning the powers union officials have over rank-and-file workers," he stressed.
In addition to its president's statement, The National Right to Work Foundation also trumpeted Thursday's ruling in a series of tweets.
The group praised the Supreme Court for having "rejected an attempt to expand union bosses’ special legal powers to include immunity from state lawsuits over deliberate property damage perpetrated during union strike actions."
In an 8-1 ruling today inGlacier Northwest v. Teamsters, the Supreme Court rejected an attempt to expand union bosses’ special legal powers to include immunity from state lawsuits over deliberate property damage perpetrated during union strike actionshttps://t.co/jJvXbYriMt
— National Right To Work Foundation (@RightToWork) June 1, 2023
"As we argued in an amicus brief in the case: 'As flagrant as immunity from property damage lawsuits might seem, the exemption in Glacier is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to special union boss legal privileges," the organization added.
However, the union issued a statement of its own which slammed the decision as being "shameful" and "one more reminder that Americans cannot rely on their government to protect them."
‼️Statement from #Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien on the Supreme Court’s ruling today in #Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union No. 174, which opens the door for corporations to sue their own workers. #1u @TeamsterSOB 1/9🧵... pic.twitter.com/yaGvwSXa0W
— Teamsters (@Teamsters) June 1, 2023
"The political hacks at the Supreme Court have again voted in favor of corporations over working people," the Teamsters complained.
"These corruptible justices should be ashamed of themselves for throwing out long-standing precedent and legislating from the bench," the union insisted.
