The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit has overturned a ruling barring two labor benefits disputes between teamsters from being handled in arbitration.

The court vacated the district court's finding that the Union Trustees of Western Pennsylvania Teamsters' internal dispute over the benefits trust was not appropriate for arbitration.

According to Third Circuit Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie's opinion, the trustees were deadlocked on two motions: one seeking to approve compensation to eligible trustees for attendance at fund meetings and the other looking for clarification on eligibility requirements for employer trustees. In each case, the group was split in half over the issue of whether the court should appoint an arbitrator to settle the dispute.