Allis-Chalmers Corp. v. Lueck

Decided April 16, 1985. Harry Andrew Blackmun delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 83-1748 · 471 U.S. 202 (1985) · Cited 2,375 times

Holding

When resolution of a state-law claim is substantially dependent upon analysis of the terms of a collective-bargaining agreement, that claim must either be treated as a 301 claim or dismissed as pre-empted by federal labor-contract law.

The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court — read the official opinion for authority.

How the Justices voted

Decided 8–0.

“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. Source: the Supreme Court Database (Spaeth et al.), Washington University.

Precedents cited

Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.

• San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon · 359 U.S. 236 (1959)
• Malone v. White Motor Corp. · 435 U.S. 497 (1978)
• Republic Steel Corp. v. Maddox · 379 U.S. 650 (1965)
• Local 174, Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen & Helpers v. Lucas Flour Co. · 369 U.S. 95 (1962)
• Brown v. Hotel & Restaurant Employees & Bartenders International Union Local 54 · 468 U.S. 491 (1984)
• Alexander v. Gardner-Denver Co. · 415 U.S. 36 (1974)
• Farmer v. United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America, Local 25 · 430 U.S. 290 (1977)
• United Steelworkers v. Warrior & Gulf Navigation Co. · 363 U.S. 574 (1960)
• Vaca v. Sipes · 386 U.S. 171 (1967)
• Textile Workers v. Lincoln Mills of Ala. · 353 U.S. 448 (1957)
• Gibbons v. Ogden · 22 U.S. 1 (1824)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. · 301 U.S. 1 (1937)
• Avco Corp. v. Aero Lodge No. 735, International Ass'n of MacHinists & Aerospace Workers · 390 U.S. 557 (1968)
• Smith v. Evening News Assn. · 371 U.S. 195 (1962)
• Amalgamated Ass'n of Street, Electric Railway & Motor Coach Employees of America v. Lockridge · 403 U.S. 274 (1971)
• Garner v. Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Local Union No. 776 · 346 U.S. 485 (1953)
• Lodge 76, International Ass'n of MacHinists & Aerospace Workers v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission · 427 U.S. 132 (1976)
• Retail Clerks International Ass'n, Local 1625 v. Schermerhorn · 375 U.S. 96 (1963)
• Local 20, Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Union v. Morton · 377 U.S. 252 (1964)
• Bowen v. United States Postal Service · 459 U.S. 212 (1983)
• New York Telephone Co. v. New York State Department of Labor · 440 U.S. 519 (1979)

Cited by

Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers v. Hechler · 481 U.S. 851 (1987)
• Lingle v. Norge Division of Magic Chef, Inc. · 486 U.S. 399 (1988)
• Livadas v. Bradshaw · 512 U.S. 107 (1994)
• United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO-CLC v. Rawson · 495 U.S. 362 (1990)
• Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. v. Norris · 512 U.S. 246 (1994)
• Aetna Health Inc. v. Davila · 542 U.S. 200 (2004)
• Caterpillar Inc. v. Williams · 482 U.S. 386 (1987)
• Pilot Life Insurance v. Dedeaux · 481 U.S. 41 (1987)
• Medtronic, Inc. v. Lohr · 518 U.S. 470 (1996)
• Ingersoll-Rand Co. v. McClendon · 498 U.S. 133 (1990)
• Gade v. National Solid Wastes Management Assn. · 505 U.S. 88 (1992)
• Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor & Human Relations v. Gould Inc. · 475 U.S. 282 (1986)
• Breininger v. Sheet Metal Workers International Ass'n Local Union No. 6 · 493 U.S. 67 (1989)

Official text

Read the official opinion (U.S. Reports, govinfo.gov)

Explore from here

Harry Andrew Blackmun’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1985). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-07-03. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).