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Supreme Court Rules Last-Mile Delivery Workers Can Sue Despite State Borders

The Supreme Court unanimously determined Thursday that last-mile delivery workers operating entirely within a single state retain interstate commerce status for employment disputes. The decision stems from a 2022 case involving Angelo Brock, a franchise deliverer for Flowers Foods (NYSE: FLO), whose Denver-based operations never required crossing state lines. Brock challenged an arbitration clause in his franchise agreement after raising pay concerns. The Court upheld earlier rulings from district and appellate courts, concluding that workers at the end of an interstate supply chain qualify as interstate employees. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that an intrastate worker's location does not negate their role in interstate processes. The ruling allows such workers to pursue lawsuits rather than mandatory arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, potentially enabling individual claims to develop into class actions—a consideration employers typically seek to avoid.