steelworkers warrior gulf argued april decided june suit labor management relations act brought labor union compel arbitration grievance based upon employer practice contracting work laying employees performed work collective bargaining agreement parties contained strike provisions set grievance procedure culminating arbitration provided matters strictly function management shall subject arbitration also provided differences arise meaning application provisions agreement local trouble kind arise grievance procedure followed appeals ruled deciding whether contract work strictly function management within meaning agreement sustained judgment district dismissing complaint held erred judgment reversed pp suit judicial inquiry must strictly confined question whether reluctant party agree arbitrate grievance give arbitrator power make award made order arbitrate particular grievance denied unless may said positive assurance arbitration clause susceptible interpretation covers asserted dispute doubts resolved favor coverage pp absence express provision excluding particular grievance arbitration forceful evidence purpose exclude claim arbitration prevail particularly exclusion clause vague arbitration clause quite broad pp since case parties agreed dispute meaning agreement determined arbitration arbitrator courts decide whether contracting involved violated agreement david feller argued cause petitioner brief arthur goldberg elliot bredhoff james clowes carney layne samuel lang argued cause respondent brief richard keenan jackson opinion justice douglas announced justice brennan respondent transports steel steel products barge maintains terminal chickasaw alabama performs maintenance repair work barges employees terminal constitute bargaining unit covered collective bargaining agreement negotiated petitioner union respondent laid employees reducing bargaining unit men reduction due part respondent contracting maintenance work previously done employees companies latter used respondent supervisors lay work hired employees respondent reduced wages fact assigned work respondent barges number employees signed grievance petitioner presented respondent grievance reading hereby protesting company actions arbitrarily unreasonably contracting work concerns previously performed company employees practice becomes unreasonable unjust discriminatory lieu sic fact present number employees laid years allegedly lack work confronted facts charge company violation contract inducing partial number employees otherwise working unfair practice issues conflict federal statute application established procedure matters strictly function management shall subject arbitration section differences arise company union members employed company meaning application provisions agreement local trouble kind arise shall suspension work account differences earnest effort shall made settle differences immediately following manner maintenance employees first aggrieved employees foreman involved second member members grievance committee designated union foreman master mechanic fifth agreement reached matter shall referred impartial umpire decision parties shall meet decide umpire acceptable agreement selection umpire reached parties shall jointly petition conciliation service suggestion list umpires selection made decision umpire shall final district granted respondent motion dismiss complaint supp held hearing evidence much went merits grievance agreement confide arbitrator right review defendant business judgment contracting work held contracting repair maintenance work well construction work strictly function management limited respect labor agreement involved ibid appeals affirmed divided vote majority holding collective agreement withdrawn grievance procedure matters strictly function management contracting fell exception case writ certiorari held textile workers lincoln mills grievance arbitration provision collective agreement enforced reason labor management relations act policy applied enforcing type arbitration reflected national labor laws present federal policy promote industrial stabilization collective bargaining agreement major factor achieving industrial peace inclusion provision arbitration grievances collective bargaining agreement thus run arbitration cases illustrated wilko swan becomes irrelevant problem choice adjudication cases controversies courts established procedures even special statutory safeguards one hand settlement informal arbitration tribunal commercial case arbitration substitute litigation arbitration substitute industrial strife since arbitration labor disputes quite different functions arbitration ordinary commercial agreement hostility evinced courts toward arbitration commercial agreements place arbitration labor disputes collective bargaining agreements part parcel collective bargaining process collective bargaining agreement rights duties parties contract generalized code govern myriad cases draftsmen wholly anticipate see shulman reason contract law labor relations harv rev collective agreement covers whole employment relationship calls new common law common law particular industry particular plant one observer put unqualifiedly true agreement simply document union employees imposed upon management limited express restrictions otherwise absolute right manage enterprise employee claim must fail unless point specific contract provision upon claim founded many people many problems many unforeseeable contingencies make words contract exclusive source rights duties one reduce rules governing community like industrial plant fifteen even fifty pages within sphere collective bargaining institutional characteristics governmental nature process demand common law shop implements furnishes context agreement must assume intelligent negotiators acknowledged plain need unless stated contrary rule plain words apart matters parties specifically exclude questions parties disagree must therefore come within scope grievance arbitration provisions collective agreement grievance procedure words part continuous collective bargaining process rather strike terminal point disagreement labor arbitrator performs functions normal courts considerations help fashion judgments may indeed foreign competence courts proper conception arbitrator function basic public tribunal imposed upon parties superior authority parties obliged accept general charter administer justice community transcends parties rather part system created confined parties shulman supra congress however labor management relations act assigned courts duty determining whether reluctant party breached promise arbitrate arbitration matter contract party required submit arbitration dispute agreed submit yet consistent congressional policy favor settlement disputes parties machinery arbitration judicial inquiry must strictly confined question whether reluctant party agree arbitrate grievance agree give arbitrator power make award made order arbitrate particular grievance denied unless may said positive assurance arbitration clause susceptible interpretation covers asserted dispute doubts resolved favor coverage agree lower courts grievances necessarily excepted grievance procedure agreement sure agreement provides matters strictly function management shall subject arbitration goes say differences arise local trouble kind arises grievance procedure shall applicable collective bargaining agreements regulate restrict exercise management functions oust management performance management hires fires pays promotes supervises plans part function absent collective bargaining agreement may exercised freely except limited public law willingness employees work particular unilaterally imposed conditions collective bargaining agreement may treat certain specific practices leaving rest management subject possibility work stoppages however absolute clause included agreement real sense everything management subject agreement either management prohibited limited action takes protected interference strikes comprehensive reach collective bargaining agreement mean however language strictly function management meaning strictly function management might thought refer practice management particular circumstances prescribed agreement permitted indulge courts order determine arbitrability allowed determine permitted arbitration clause swallowed exception every grievance sense involves claim management violated provision agreement grievance alleged contracting violation collective bargaining agreement therefore dispute meaning application provisions agreement parties agreed determined arbitration judiciary sits cases bring operation arbitral process substitutes regime peaceful settlement older regime industrial conflict whether contracting present case violated agreement question question arbiter courts reversed justice black took part consideration decision case opinion justice brennan joined justice frankfurter justice harlan see ante footnotes suits violation contracts employer labor organization representing employees industry affecting commerce defined act labor organizations may brought district jurisdiction parties without respect amount controversy without regard citizenship parties see textile workers lincoln mills note supra national labor relations act amended act congress indeed provided collective agreement fixed term duty bargain require either party discuss agree modification terms conditions contained contract see labor board sands mfg complete effectuation federal policy achieved agreement contains arbitration provision unresolved grievances absolute prohibition strikes arbitration agreement quid pro quo agreement strike textile workers lincoln mills contracts ban strikes often provide lifting ban certain conditions unconditional pledges strikes however somewhat frequent conditional ones conditions attached pledges one two approaches may used certain subjects may exempted scope pledge pledge may lifted certain procedures followed union similar qualifications may made pledges lockouts frequent conditions lifting pledges occurrence deadlock wage reopening negotiations violation contract especially grievance procedure failure abide arbitration award pledges may also lifted compliance specified procedures contracts permit union strike grievance procedure exhausted without settlement arbitration prescribed final recourse contracts permit strike mediation efforts fail specified period collective bargaining negotiations contracts bureau national affairs cox reflections upon labor arbitration harv rev clear agreement case involved american manufacturing ante question arbitrability courts decide cf cox reflections upon labor arbitration harv rev assertion claimant parties excluded determination merely decision merits grievance also question arbitrability vesting power make decisions arbitrator claimant must bear burden clear demonstration purpose see celanese america lab arb arbiter grievance growing contracting work said research located published decisions concerned issue covering wide range factual situations common characteristic work involved occurred agreement contained provision specifically mentioned work today understood unquestioned law consistently held arbitrators private judges chosen parties decide particular matters specifically submitted contract matters submitted arbitrators source limit authority power power decide issues finality thus ousting normal functions courts must rest upon clear definitive agreement parties powers never implied moorman mercantile trust hensey see also fernandez hnos rickert rice mills cir marchant mfg continental milling feed doughnut md jacob weisser believe today departs established principles announced decisions employer operates shop normal maintenance barges equipped make major repairs accordingly employer beginning operations years ago contracted major repair work time union represented employees unit district found hroughout successive labor agreements parties including present one union unsuccessfully sought negotiate changes labor contracts particularly negotiation present labor agreement limited right employer continue practice contracting work supp labor agreement involved provides arbitration disputes respecting interpretation application agreement arguably also things first paragraph arbitration section says atters strictly function management shall subject arbitration section although acquiescing years employer interpretation contracting work strictly function management repeatedly tried particularly negotiation agreement involved unsuccessfully induce employer agree covenant prohibit contracting work union agreed signed contract involved presented grievance ground employer contracting work time employees unit laid lack work constituted partial lockout employees violation antilockout provision agreement unable persuade employer agree cease contracting work agree arbitrate grievance union brought action district labor management relations act decree compelling employer submit grievance arbitration district holding contracting work long course dealings interpreted understood parties strictly function management therefore specifically excluded arbitration terms contract denied relief prayed supp appeals affirmed granted certiorari reverses judgment appeals holds arbitrator source law confined express provisions contract arbitration ordered unless may said positive assurance arbitration clause susceptible interpretation covers asserted dispute oubts arbitrability resolved favor coverage absolute clause included agreement everything management subject arbitration understand thus hold arbitrators confined express provisions contract arbitration ordered unless may said positive assurance arbitration particular dispute excluded contract doubts arbitrability resolved favor arbitration contract contains clause everything management subject arbitration entirely new strange doctrine suggest deference departs contract parties controlling decisions find nothing contract purports confer upon arbitrators general breadth private judicial power cites legislative judicial authority creates gives arbitrators broad general powers respectfully submit today decision squared statement judge later justice cardozo marchant one duty resort conventional tribunals however helpful processes except extent signified willingness favor disfavor cause arbitration count factor appraisal thought others emphasis added statement case question one intention ascertained tests applied contracts generally id statement moorman intention parties submit contractual disputes final determination outside courts made manifest plain language emphasis added statement hensey make arbitrator certificate conclusive requires plain language contract implied emphasis added party never required submit arbitration question agreed submit contracts providing arbitration carefully construed order force party submit arbitration question intend submitted emphasis added fernandez hnos rickert rice mills supra respect submit nothing contract indicate employer signified willingness marchant supra submit arbitrators whether must cease contracting work certainly intention made manifest plain language moorman supra law requires consent implied hensey supra contrary parties conduct many years interpreted contracting major repair work strictly function management concurring opinion suggests words contract understood reference background gave rise inclusion interpretation given parties years phrase matters strictly function management logically significance contract parties agreed matters strictly function management shall subject arbitration union course many years repeatedly tried induce employer agree covenant prohibiting contracting work never successful union made effort negotiating contract involved failing success signed contract knowing course contain covenant contrary contained former contracts covenant matters strictly function management shall subject arbitration show instead signifying willingness submit arbitration matter whether employer might continue contract work parties fairly agreed exclude least matter arbitration surely said parties agreed submission plain language moorman supra hensey supra opinion compel employer submit arbitration question agreed submit fernandez supra surely question whether particular subject class subjects made arbitrable contract judicial question concurring opinion suggests may conclude contract commits arbitration subject class subjects may likewise conclude contract commit subject class subjects arbitration ith finding exhausted function less denying arbitration ordering district found appeals approved finding terms contract interpreted parties years contracting work strictly function management subject arbitration finding think accepted acceptance requires affirmance judgment agree courts proper concern merits claims contract parties agreed submit exclusive jurisdiction arbitrators question one jurisdiction neither may entrench upon jurisdiction test parties contract manifest plain language moorman supra willingness submit issue controversy arbitrators arbitrators exclusive jurisdiction courts absent fraud like must respect exclusive jurisdiction interfere courts must exercise jurisdiction properly invoked protect citizen attempted use arbitrators pretended powers actually never conferred question always nature must judicial one question presented district appeals found jurisdictional facts properly applied settled law facts correctly decided case therefore affirm judgment arbitrators judges chosen parties decide matters submitted burchell marsh agreement arbitrators selected source limit authority award binding must substance form conform submission emphasis added continental ins garrett cir opinion judge later justice lurton true intention parties submit contractual disputes final determination outside courts made manifest plain language emphasis added moorman make arbitrator certificate conclusive requires plain language contract implied emphasis added mercantile trust hensey party never required submit arbitration question agreed submit contracts providing arbitration carefully construed order force party submit arbitration question intend submitted emphasis added fernandez hnos rickert rice mills leading case judge later justice cardozo said question one intention ascertained tests applied contracts generally one duty resort conventional tribunals however helpful processes except extent signified willingness favor disfavor cause arbitration count factor appraisal thought others emphasis added marchant mfg case quoting judge cardozo language marchant supra saying question one intention said sound policy demands terms arbitration agreement must strained discover power pass upon matters dispute terms must clear unmistakable oust jurisdiction trial jury taken away case merely implication emphasis added continental milling feed doughnut md circumstances decision arbitrator held final conclusive must appear said chandley cambridge springs atl power pass upon clearly given terms agreement strained discover must clear unmistakable oust jurisdiction courts trial jury taken away implication merely case emphasis added jacob weisser