Court filings, news reports

Supreme Court Backs Starbucks in Labor Dispute Over 7 Fired Memphis Union Workers

Jun 13, 2024, 02:34 PM

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Starbucks in a significant labor-relations dispute, siding with the coffee chain in its challenge to a judicial order to rehire seven Memphis employees who were fired while seeking to unionize. The decision, delivered by Justice Clarence Thomas for an 8-1 Court, curbs the power of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and mandates that district courts apply the traditional four-factor test when considering preliminary injunctions under Section 10(j) of the National Labor Relations Act. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson partially dissented and concurred in part. This ruling could make it more challenging for labor prosecutors to secure court injunctions against employers accused of unfair labor practices.