Writers' Guild of America West, Inc. v. Superior Court

Opinion

THOMPSON, J.

This petition for writ of prohibition or mandate raises the issue of state court subject matter jurisdiction to entertain an action for damages filed by members of a labor union alleging conduct of the union disciplining or threatening to discipline its plaintiff members for crossing the union’s picket line during a strike. The action proceeds on the theory that the union’s constitution and bylaws do not prohibit the conduct of members for which discipline was threatened or imposed. Determining that the essence of the plaintiff members’ causes of action consists of…