Court review of labor arbitration awards after the Supreme Court's Eastern Coal decision

Abstract

This article addresses the law concerning judicial review of arbitrators’ decisions. Courts may become involved in the arbitration process at various stages in the dispute resolution process. It is the responsibility of courts for example, to determine whether a union and employer have agreed to arbitration. The author reviews the Supreme Court’s decision in Eastern Assoc. Coal Corp. v. United Mine Workers where it considered the parameters of judicial power to set aside arbitration award on the basis that they violated public policy.