United States v. Ryan

In United States v. Ryan (1956) 350 U.S. 299, the United States Supreme Court rejected a narrow construction of the term "representative" under 29 United States Code section 186. The defendant had argued that the term "representative" had a technical meaning and only covered "the exclusive bargaining representative" of the employees. The court emphasized that the statute referred to "any representative of any employees" and therefore decided that the term "representative" included any person authorized by the employees to act for them in their dealings with employers. In rejecting a more limited construction of the word, the court emphasized that a narrow construction would "substantially defeat the congressional purpose" and make it easy for the statute to be evaded. (350 U.S. at p. 304.)