Labor Dispute Update

Since the 8th Circuit issued a permanent stay of the injunction lifting the lockout, there hasn't been a lot of movement on the legal front. The parties have exchanged briefs, and appeared for oral arguments last week on June 3rd before the 8th Circuit. In terms of events of substance, there hasn't been a whole lot.

For now, we await the 8th Circuit's ruling on the injunction. In light of the Court's opinion when they issued the full stay, it's a safe bet that they're probably going to side with the owners. However, it's not for certain, and as a result of the uncertainty we've seen the resumption of mediation and negotiations. The bottom line is, we should all hope that the negotiations lead to a settlement, because the courts will take their time, and whatever they come up with probably won't be the best solution.