Migration Jurisprudence from the South › United States
Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. NLRB
Supreme Court of the United States · United States · 2002-03-27 · National court
Citation: 535 U.S. 137
Type of case: Administrative
Outcome: Decided against the migrant side
Question
Can the labor board award back pay to an undocumented worker dismissed for union activity?
What the court decided
No (5–4). Back pay for work not performed would conflict with federal immigration policy; other remedies remain.
In plain language
A worker in the United States lost his job for supporting a union. Because he had no permission to work, the Supreme Court said he could not get the wages he would have earned, even though the employer broke the law.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Seorang pekerja di Amerika Serikat dipecat karena mendukung serikat. Karena ia tidak punya izin kerja, MA menyatakan ia tidak bisa mendapat upah yang seharusnya ia peroleh, walaupun majikan melanggar hukum.
Pertanyaan: Bisakah dewan perburuhan memberikan upah tertunggak kepada pekerja tanpa dokumen yang dipecat karena kegiatan serikat?
What happened afterwards
- 2002-03-27: Back pay award set aside. Law unchanged.
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/hoffman-2002/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.