The Supreme Court expressed skepticism during oral arguments Tuesday that a company should not be able to sue a union in state court for damage caused during a strike, in a case that unions say could curtail a federal labor law meant to protect their actions.
The dispute stems from a 2017 strike in which the company’s drivers returned running concrete trucks to its facilities and then walked off the job. The company sued in state court, arguing the union timed the strike to ruin the concrete and potentially damage the trucks.
But the Washington state Supreme Court ruled that the conduct could fall under the National Labor Relations Act, which protects the lawful use of economic pressure by unions, and the company could not sue in state court.
