The case of National Labor Relations Board v. AMAX Coal Co., a Division of AMAX, Inc., et al., 1980 revolved around the issue of whether an employer is required to bargain with a union over pension benefits for retired employees. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), stating that employers are indeed obligated to negotiate such matters with unions under Section 8(a)(5) and Section 9(a) of the National Labor Relations Act. This decision was based on the premise that retirees' pensions can affect current employees' decisions about retirement and thus fall within "conditions of employment" which must be negotiated collectively. However, it was also clarified that this obligation only applies if there's no explicit agreement between parties excluding retiree benefits from collective bargaining.

The dissenting opinion in the case of NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD v. AMAX COAL CO., A DIVISION OF AMAX, INC., et al., 1980, argued that the majority's decision was a misinterpretation of Section 8(a)(2) and (1) of the National Labor Relations Act. The dissenters believed that these sections were intended to prevent employer interference with employee self-organization and collective bargaining rights, not to prohibit employers from discussing or negotiating terms with their employees' chosen representatives. They also disagreed with the majority's view that an employer violates these provisions by paying wages directly to its employees rather than through a union trust fund. In their view, this interpretation would effectively force employers into accepting unions as intermediaries in all wage negotiations even when direct payment is more efficient or preferred by both parties.