Lee-Norse Co. v. Rutledge

HARSHBARGER, Justice:

Billy Carter and the other appellees are members of Teamsters Local 175 and employees of Lee-Norse Company, a Raleigh County manufacturer of underground mining equipment. In January, 1979, their contract expired, and while collective bargaining for a new contract was proceeding but before agreement had been reached, Lee-Norse locked its gates to union members. The employer asserted that it was a protective lockout, that its business could not continue while there was uncertainty about whether a strike was coming. There was no strike, and the union members had offered to…