At&t Technologies, Inc. v. Communications Workers of America et al.

Decided April 7, 1986. Byron Raymond White delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 84-1913 · 475 U.S. 643 (1986) · Cited 4,474 times

Holding

The issue whether, because of express exclusion or other evidence, the dispute over interpretation of Article 20 was subject to the arbitration clause, should have been decided by the District Court and reviewed by the Court of Appeals, and should not have been referred to the arbitrator.

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 9–0.

“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.

• United Steelworkers v. Warrior & Gulf Navigation Co. · 363 U.S. 574 (1960)
• John Wiley & Sons, Inc. v. Livingston · 376 U.S. 543 (1964)
• United Steelworkers v. American Manufacturing Co. · 363 U.S. 564 (1960)
• United Steelworkers v. Enterprise Wheel & Car Corp. · 363 U.S. 593 (1960)
• Mitsubishi Motors Corp. v. Soler Chrysler-Plymouth, Inc. · 473 U.S. 614 (1985)
• Boys Markets, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local 770 · 398 U.S. 235 (1970)
• Atkinson v. Sinclair Refining Co. · 370 U.S. 238 (1962)
• Nolde Bros., Inc. v. Local No. 358, Bakery & Confectionery Workers Union · 430 U.S. 243 (1977)
• Gateway Coal Co. v. United Mine Workers · 414 U.S. 368 (1974)
• Schneider Moving & Storage Co. v. Robbins · 466 U.S. 364 (1984)
• International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150 v. Flair Builders, Inc. · 406 U.S. 487 (1972)

Cited by

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

• BG Group, PLC v. Republic of Argentina · 572 U.S. 25 (2014)
• Henry Schein, Inc. v. Archer & White Sales, Inc. · 586 U.S. 63 (2019)
• First Options of Chicago, Inc. v. Kaplan · 514 U.S. 938 (1995)
• Litton Financial Printing Div., Litton Business Systems, Inc. v. NLRB · 501 U.S. 190 (1991)
• United Paperworkers International Union v. Misco, Inc. · 484 U.S. 29 (1987)
• Howsam v. Dean Witter Reynolds, Inc. · 537 U.S. 79 (2002)
• Stolt-Nielsen S. A. v. AnimalFeeds International Corp. · 559 U.S. 662 (2010)
• Wright v. Universal Maritime Service Corp. · 525 U.S. 70 (1998)
• Oxford Health Plans LLC v. Sutter · 569 U.S. 564 (2013)
• Green Tree Financial Corp. v. Bazzle · 539 U.S. 444 (2003)
• Coinbase v. Suski · 602 U.S. 143 (2024)
• ZF Automotive U. S., Inc. v. Luxshare, Ltd. · 596 U.S. 619 (2022)

Official text

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

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Byron Raymond White’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1986). 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).