Chicago enjoined over private labor dispute

A federal court in Chicago has found the City of Chicago and one of its Alderman violated the National Labor Relations Act by conditioning the permitting of a sidewalk cafe on the hotel employer resolving a lengthy strike in favor of a union. This case shows the risk associated when public officials interject themselves into labor disputes. The court relied upon Golden State Transit Corp. v. City of L.A, 475 U.S. 608, 619 (1986) (stating that conditioning the receipt of government benefits on an employer’s settlement of a labor dispute impermissibly intrudes into the collective-bargaining process and interferes with the policy underlying the NLRA). Our previous post on public officials enjoined for their involvement in an employers union free campaign is posted here.