The U.S. Supreme Court case Jewell Ridge Coal Corporation v. Local No. 6167, United Mine Workers of America et al., revolved around the issue of whether time spent by coal miners traveling underground to and from their work sites should be considered compensable working time under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The plaintiff, Jewell Ridge Coal Corporation, argued that this travel time was not part of the workers' productive workday and therefore should not be compensated. However, the defendants - a local union representing coal miners - contended that these travel times were integral parts of their jobs and thus they deserved compensation for it. In its decision in favor of the mine workers (Local No. 6167), the Supreme Court held that such travel time did indeed constitute "work" as defined by FLSA because it was an essential aspect of mining operations which required effort exerted for employer's benefit; hence it must be compensated accordingly.

In the dissenting opinion for Jewell Ridge Coal Corporation v. Local No. 6167, United Mine Workers of America et al., Justice Robert H. Jackson argued that the majority's decision to include travel time within a miner's workday was not supported by either precedent or legislative history and would lead to unjust results for employers. He contended that Congress did not intend for travel time to be included in working hours when it passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Furthermore, he expressed concern about potential economic consequences of this ruling on coal companies already struggling with low profit margins and high operating costs due to wartime price controls. In his view, such an interpretation could potentially bankrupt many businesses if they were required retroactively pay wages for travel time under FLSA provisions.