Reed v. United Transportation Union et al. (488 U.S. 319)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided January 11, 1989 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 488 U.S. 319 · 109 S. Ct. 621
- Decided
- January 11, 1989
- Term
- October Term 1988
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority author
- Justice Brennan
- Issue area
- Unions
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice Brennan delivered the opinion of the Court. We are called upon in this case to decide what statute of limitations governs a claim by a union member under § 101 (a)(2) of Title I of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA), Pub. L. 86-257, 73 Stat. 522, 29 U. S. C. § 411(a)(2), alleging that the union violated its member’s right to free speech as to union matters. Congress enacted no statute of limitations expressly applicable to § 101 actions. Petitioner Reed, the Secretary and Treasurer of Local 1715 (Local) of respondent United Transportation Union (Union), received reimbursement from the Local for “time lost” carrying out his union duties. After an audit the Union’s president, respondent Hardin, disallowed these payments. Hardin ruled that petitioner was not entitled to the payments because he had failed to obtain approval for them prior to doing the tasks that caused him to lose time, and because his salary as an officer of the Local was intended to cover all his official duties. When petitioner subsequently attempted to enforce a policy that reimbursements required prior approval — denying unapproved claims by the president and other officers of the Local — Hardin overruled these decisions. Petitioner thereupon unsuccessfully sought reinstatement of his disallowed payment. In a series of letters to Hardin, the last dated August 2, 1983,…
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