Supreme Court Denies Appeal by Dockworkers

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear claims by a group of local dockworkers that the Los Angeles-Long Beach longshoremen’s union engaged in favoritism and nepotism to fill 387 jobs sought by 22,000 applicants in 1984.

The court’s decision, taken without comment on Tuesday, lets stand lower court rulings on behalf of the International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union, Locals 13 and 63, and the Pacific Maritime Assn., which represents shippers and other waterfront employers in the ports.

Last May, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2 to 1 to uphold a decision by a federal district court in Los Angeles that dismissed a lawsuit by 128 part-time dockworkers who sought full-time status. The court ruled the workers had failed to exhaust their remedies within the union by not filing grievances within a 10-day deadline set by the union.