steelworkers enterprise argued april decided june employees discharged term collective bargaining agreement containing provision arbitration disputes including differences meaning application agreement provision reinstatement back pay employees discharged violation agreement discharges arbitrated agreement expired arbitrator found violation agreement agreement required reinstatement back pay minus pay suspension sums employees received employment respondent refused comply award district directed appeals held failure award specify amounts deducted back pay rendered award unenforceable though defect remedied requiring parties complete arbitration award back pay subsequent date expiration collective bargaining agreement enforced requirement reinstatement discharged employees unenforceable collective bargaining agreement expired held judgment district affirmed modification requiring specific amounts due employees definitely determined arbitration pp federal courts decline review merits arbitration awards collective bargaining agreements steelworkers warrior gulf navigation ante opinion arbitrator case bears upon award back pay beyond date agreement expiration reinstatement ambiguous mere ambiguity opinion accompanying award reason refusing enforce award even permits inference arbitrator may exceeded authority pp question interpretation collective bargaining agreement question arbitrator courts business overruling construction contract merely interpretation different pp appeals erred holding award back pay subsequent date expiration collective bargaining agreement enforced requirement reinstatement discharged employees unenforceable collective bargaining agreement expired pp judgment district ordering respondent comply arbitrator award modified amount due employees may definitely determined arbitration elliot bredhoff david feller argued cause petitioner brief arthur goldberg james clowes carney layne william beatty argued cause respondent brief jackson huddleston opinion justice douglas announced justice brennan petitioner union respondent period relevant collective bargaining agreement provided differences meaning application agreement submitted arbitration arbitrator decision shall final binding parties special provisions included concerning suspension discharge employees agreement stated determined company arbitrator accordance grievance procedure employee suspended unjustly discharged violation provisions agreement company shall reinstate employee pay full compensation employee regular rate pay time lost understood agreed neither party institute civil suits legal proceedings alleged violation provisions labor contract instead disputes settled manner outlined article iii adjustment grievances grievance filed respondent finally refused arbitrate suit brought specific enforcement arbitration provisions agreement district ordered arbitration arbitrator found discharge men justified though conduct said improper view facts warranted suspension men days discharge arbitration award collective bargaining agreement expired union however continued represent workers plant arbitrator rejected contention expiration agreement barred reinstatement employees held provision agreement quoted imposed unconditional obligation employer awarded reinstatement back pay minus pay suspension sums employees received employment respondent refused comply award petitioner moved district enforcement district directed respondent comply supp appeals agreeing district jurisdiction enforce arbitration award collective bargaining agreement held failure award specify amounts deducted back pay rendered award unenforceable defect agreed remedied requiring parties complete arbitration went hold however award back pay subsequent date termination collective bargaining agreement enforced also held requirement reinstatement discharged employees likewise unenforceable collective bargaining agreement expired granted certiorari refusal courts review merits arbitration award proper approach arbitration collective bargaining agreements federal policy settling labor disputes arbitration undermined courts final say merits awards stated steelworkers america warrior gulf navigation ante decided day arbitrators collective agreements indispensable agencies continuous collective bargaining process sit settle disputes plant level disputes require solution knowledge custom practices particular factory particular industry reflected particular agreements arbitrator commissioned interpret apply collective bargaining agreement bring informed judgment bear order reach fair solution problem especially true comes formulating remedies need flexibility meeting wide variety situations draftsmen may never thought specific remedy awarded meet particular contingency nevertheless arbitrator confined interpretation application collective bargaining agreement sit dispense brand industrial justice may course look guidance many sources yet award legitimate long draws essence collective bargaining agreement arbitrator words manifest infidelity obligation courts choice refuse enforcement award opinion arbitrator case bears upon award back pay beyond date agreement expiration reinstatement ambiguous may read based solely upon arbitrator view requirements enacted legislation mean exceeded scope submission may read embodying construction agreement perhaps arbitrator looking law help determining sense agreement mere ambiguity opinion accompanying award permits inference arbitrator may exceeded authority reason refusing enforce award arbitrators obligation give reasons award require opinions free ambiguity may lead arbitrators play safe writing supporting opinions undesirable opinion tends engender confidence integrity process aids clarifying underlying agreement moreover see reason assume arbitrator abused trust parties confided stayed within areas marked consideration apparent went beyond submission appeals opinion refusing enforce reinstatement partial back pay portions award based upon finding arbitrator premise award construction contract merely disagreed arbitrator construction collective bargaining agreement provided employees wrongfully discharged remedy reinstatement back pay date returned work respondent major argument seems applying correct principles law interpretation collective bargaining agreement determined agreement provide therefore arbitrator decision based upon contract acceptance view require courts even standard arbitration clause review merits every construction contract plenary review merits make meaningless provisions arbitrator decision final reality almost never final underlines fundamental error alluded steelworkers america american manufacturing ante decided day emphasized question interpretation collective bargaining agreement question arbitrator arbitrator construction bargained far arbitrator decision concerns construction contract courts business overruling interpretation contract different agree appeals judgment district modified amounts due employees may definitely determined arbitration respects think judgment district affirmed accordingly reverse judgment appeals except modification remand case district proceedings conformity opinion ordered justice black took part consideration decision case opinion justice brennan joined justice frankfurter justice harlan see ante footnotes persons unfamiliar mills factories farmers professors example often remark upon visiting seem like another world particularly true steel industry tradition technology strongly uniquely molded ways men think act work newly hired employee green hand gradually initiated amounts miniature society finds strange environment assaults senses unusual sounds smells often different weather conditions sudden drafts heat cold humidity discovers society gradually becomes part course formal government rules management union laid also differs parallels world outside social classes folklore ritual traditions process old mills real miniature society grown important ways technological revolution described case history shattered new society work community born immediately though long time developed slowly old society strongly molded discontinuous process making pipe new one molded continuous process strongly influenced characteristics new automatic equipment walker life automatic factory harv bus rev see jalet judicial review arbitration judicial attitude cornell justice whittaker dissenting claiming employer discharge january employees violated provisions collective bargaining contract employer covering period beginning april ending april union sought obtained arbitration provisions contract issues whether employees discharged violation agreement ordered reinstated awarded wages time wrongful discharge august four months collective agreement expired issues agreement parties submitted single arbitrator hearing held january april arbitrator made award finding employees discharged violation agreement ordering reinstatement back pay regular rates time days discharge time reinstatement employer objection collective agreement submission authorize empower arbitrator award reinstatement wages period date expiration contract april district ordered enforcement award appeals modified judgment eliminating requirement employer reinstate employees pay wages period expiration collective agreement affirmed respects granted certiorari propriety discharges collective agreement arbitrable provisions agreement even expiration issue issue power arbitrator award reinstatement status back pay discharged employees date expiration collective agreement conceded collective agreement expired terms april never extended renewed sole question whether arbitrator exceeded submission powers awarding reinstatement back pay period expiration collective agreements like appeals think find nothing collective agreement purports authorize point anything agreement purports indeed union contend covenant contract doubtless rights accrued employees collective agreement term made arbitrable provisions awarded arbitrator even though period agreement ended surely rights accrued employees agreement expired save provisions collective agreement absence applicable rule law contrary covenant employer employees employer legal right discharge employees collective agreement however protected discharge specified reasons continuation agreement expired continue afford rights futuro employees though still effective governing agreement expired employment status employees terminable employer appeals quite properly held see meadows radio industries cir atchison andrews cir warden hinds cir announced discharge employees became lawfully effective contract expired rights continued accrue employees thereafter contractual right demand employer continue employ fortiori arbitrator power order employer arbitrator power order employer pay wages date termination contract also effective date discharges judgment appeals affirming much award required reinstatement employees employment status payment wages expiration contract thereafter seems indubitably correct affirm