The U.S. Supreme Court case Local 926, International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO, et al. v. Jones (1982) centered on the issue of whether a union could be held liable for damages under federal labor law when it breached its duty to represent a member fairly during grievance proceedings with an employer. The plaintiff was fired by his employer and sought help from his union in filing a grievance against the company; however, he claimed that the union did not adequately represent him due to racial discrimination. The court ruled in favor of Jones stating that unions can indeed be held accountable for monetary damages if they fail their duty of fair representation towards their members during such proceedings.

In the dissenting opinion for Local 926, International Union of Operating Engineers, AFL-CIO, et al. v. Jones (1982), Justice Brennan argued that the majority's decision to allow a state court to award damages against a union for secondary picketing violated federal labor law and policy. He contended that Congress had deliberately chosen not to provide such remedies in order to balance competing interests between unions and employers under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). According to him, allowing states to interfere with this delicate balance would undermine national uniformity in labor relations. Furthermore, he disagreed with the majority's interpretation of previous Supreme Court decisions on preemption doctrine as well as their view that NLRA did not preempt state action because it was silent on damage remedies for unfair labor practices.