NO MANIFEST DISREGARD IN AWARD AGAINST TEAMSTERS’ UNION
A federal court in New Jersey granted an employer’s motion to dismiss a complaint filed by the union representing a terminated employee. The union sought to vacate an arbitrator’s award in an employment dispute pertaining to the employee’s termination. The court noted the “narrow” standard in overturning an arbitrator’s award, and that even “improvident” or “silly” factfinding by the arbitrator would not constitute a “manifest disregard” of the law. The court analyzed whether the collective bargaining agreement containing the arbitration clause was valid, for lack of signature by an authorized employer representative, but ultimately agreed with the arbitrator’s decision on that point and others, finding the decision “well-reasoned” and “supported by the record.” Int’l Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 701 v. Stroehmann Bakeries, No. 09-6205 (USDC D.N.J. June 22, 2010)
This post written by John Pitblado.
