National Labor Relations Board v. Magnavox Company of Tennessee

Decided February 27, 1974. William Orville Douglas delivered the opinion of the Court.

Docket 72-1637 · 415 U.S. 322 (1974) · Cited 138 times

Holding

Respondent's ban might interfere with the employees' rights under 7 of the National Labor Relations Act 'to form, join, or assist labor organizations,' or to refrain from such activities, and such rights, unlike those in the economic area, cannot be waived by the employees' collective-bargaining representative.

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.

• Mastro Plastics Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board · 350 U.S. 270 (1956)
• Textile Workers v. Lincoln Mills of Ala. · 353 U.S. 448 (1957)
• National Labor Relations Board v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. · 301 U.S. 1 (1937)
• Republic Aviation Corp. v. National Labor Relations Board · 324 U.S. 793 (1945)
• 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)

Cited by

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

• 14 Penn Plaza LLC v. Pyett · 556 U.S. 247 (2009)
• Eastex, Inc. v. National Labor Relations Board · 437 U.S. 556 (1978)
• Connick Ex Rel. Parish of Orleans v. Myers · 461 U.S. 138 (1983)
• Perry Education Ass'n v. Perry Local Educators' Ass'n · 460 U.S. 37 (1983)
• Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. San Diego County District Council of Carpenters · 436 U.S. 180 (1978)
• National Labor Relations Board v. J. Weingarten, Inc. · 420 U.S. 251 (1975)
• Metropolitan Edison Co. v. National Labor Relations Board · 460 U.S. 693 (1983)
• Beth Israel Hospital v. National Labor Relations Board · 437 U.S. 483 (1978)
• United Mine Workers of America Health & Retirement Funds v. Robinson · 455 U.S. 562 (1982)
• Emporium Capwell Co. v. Western Addition Community Organization · 420 U.S. 50 (1975)

Official text

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

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William Orville Douglas’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court

Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (1974). 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).