Union Pacific Railroad Co. v. Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen General Committee of Adjustment, Central Region

Holding: Federal law provides for the binding arbitration of labor disputes involving railroads. The Court had agreed to decide whether (i) a court may overturn an arbitration award on the ground that it was unconstitutional, and (ii) the arbitration ruling in this case was in fact unconstitutionally retroactive. But it did not rule on those issues because it concluded that the arbitration violated the relevant federal statute.

Judgment: Affirmed, 9-0, in an opinion by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on December 8, 2009.

Briefs and Documents

Merits Briefs

• Brief for Petitioner Union Pacific Railroad Company
• Brief for Respondents Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen General Committee of Adjustment, Central Region
• Reply Brief for Petitioner Union Pacific Railroad Company

Amicus Briefs

• Brief for the National Railway Labor Conference, the Association of American Railroads, and the Airline Industrial Relations Conference in support of Petitioner
• Brief for the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations in Support of Petitioner
• Brief for Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, National Division in Support of Respondent

Certiorari-stage documents

• Opinion below (7th Circuit) _
• Petition for certiorari
• Brief in opposition
• Brief amici curiae of the National Railway Labor Conference, et al. (in support of petitioner)
• Petitioner's reply