Supreme Court of the United States / October Term 1975

Lodge 76, International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers, Afl-Cio, et al. v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission et al.

Decided June 25, 1976. William Joseph Brennan Jr. delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 75-185 · 427 U.S. 132 (1976) · Cited 600 times

Holding

The union's concerted refusal to work overtime was peaceful conduct constituting activity that must be free of state regulation if the congressional intent in enacting the comprehensive federal law of labor relations is not to be frustrated.

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 6–3.

“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.

National Labor Relations Board v. Insurance Agents' International Union · 361 U.S. 477 (1960)
San Diego Building Trades Council v. Garmon · 359 U.S. 236 (1959)
International Union, U. A. W. A., A. F. of L., Local 232 v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Board · 336 U.S. 245 (1949)
Local 20, Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Union v. Morton · 377 U.S. 252 (1964)
Garner v. Teamsters, Chauffeurs & Helpers Local Union No. 776 · 346 U.S. 485 (1953)
Hanna Mining Co. v. District 2, Marine Engineers Beneficial Ass'n · 382 U.S. 181 (1965)
Amalgamated Ass'n of Street, Electric Railway & Motor Coach Employees of America v. Lockridge · 403 U.S. 274 (1971)
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen v. Jacksonville Terminal Co. · 394 U.S. 369 (1969)
International Union, United Automobile, Aircraft & Agricultural Implement Workers v. Russell · 356 U.S. 634 (1958)
Boys Markets, Inc. v. Retail Clerks Union, Local 770 · 398 U.S. 235 (1970)
American Ship Building Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 380 U.S. 300 (1965)
H. K. Porter Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 397 U.S. 99 (1970)
National Labor Relations Board v. Truck Drivers Local Union No. 449 · 353 U.S. 87 (1957)
Edelman v. Jordan · 415 U.S. 651 (1974)
United States v. Raines · 362 U.S. 17 (1960)
Linn v. United Plant Guard Workers of America, Local 114 · 383 U.S. 53 (1966)
National Labor Relations Board v. MacKay Radio & Telegraph Co. · 304 U.S. 333 (1938)
National Labor Relations Board v. Brown · 380 U.S. 278 (1965)
Howard Johnson Co. v. Detroit Local Joint Executive Board · 417 U.S. 249 (1974)
United Construction Workers v. Laburnum Construction Corp. · 347 U.S. 656 (1954)
Allen-Bradley Local No. 1111 v. Wisconsin Employment Relations Board · 315 U.S. 740 (1942)
Weber v. Anheuser-Busch, Inc. · 348 U.S. 468 (1955)
National Labor Relations Board v. American National Insurance · 343 U.S. 395 (1952)
National Labor Relations Board v. Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. · 306 U.S. 240 (1939)
International Ass'n of MacHinists v. Gonzales · 356 U.S. 617 (1958)
Local 1976, United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners v. National Labor Relations Board · 357 U.S. 93 (1958)
Local 24, International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. Oliver · 358 U.S. 283 (1959)
Youngdahl v. Rainfair, Inc. · 355 U.S. 131 (1957)
National Labor Relations Board v. Nash-Finch Co. · 404 U.S. 138 (1971)
National Labor Relations Board v. Local Union No. 1229, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers · 346 U.S. 464 (1953)

Cited by

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

New York Telephone Co. v. New York State Department of Labor · 440 U.S. 519 (1979)
Belknap, Inc. v. Hale · 463 U.S. 491 (1983)
Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles · 493 U.S. 103 (1989)
Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of Los Angeles · 475 U.S. 608 (1986)
Building & Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District v. Associated Builders & Contractors of Massachusetts/Rhode Island, Inc. · 507 U.S. 218 (1993)
Chamber of Commerce of United States v. Brown · 554 U.S. 60 (2008)
Metropolitan Life Insurance v. Massachusetts · 471 U.S. 724 (1985)
Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. San Diego County District Council of Carpenters · 436 U.S. 180 (1978)
Farmer v. United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America, Local 25 · 430 U.S. 290 (1977)
Monell v. New York City Dept. of Social Servs. · 436 U.S. 658 (1978)
Caterpillar Inc. v. Williams · 482 U.S. 386 (1987)
Allis-Chalmers Corp. v. Lueck · 471 U.S. 202 (1985)
Lingle v. Norge Division of Magic Chef, Inc. · 486 U.S. 399 (1988)
Fort Halifax Packing Co. v. Coyne · 482 U.S. 1 (1987)
Livadas v. Bradshaw · 512 U.S. 107 (1994)
Carey v. Brown · 447 U.S. 455 (1980)
Malone v. White Motor Corp. · 435 U.S. 497 (1978)
Boggs v. Boggs · 520 U.S. 833 (1997)
Wisconsin Department of Industry, Labor & Human Relations v. Gould Inc. · 475 U.S. 282 (1986)
Local 926, International Union of Operating Engineers v. Jones · 460 U.S. 669 (1983)
Glacier Northwest, Inc. v. Teamsters · 598 U.S. 771 (2023)

Official text

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

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Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1976). 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).