Known colloquially as the "Mahoney Beef," the case has been cited by scholars as an example of the relationship between state laws and union membership rights.
In 1949, Mahoney and a group of other militant sailors refused to cross a Canadian Seamen's Union picket line.
[4][2] Mahoney received support from many rank-and-file sailors, especially in Seattle, who believed that his trial had been unfair and his expulsion was politically motivated.
Dozens of other members were expelled from the SUP for their support of Mahoney, including Shaun Maloney, and launched their own lawsuits for reinstatement.
The Mahoney Beef is viewed by labor historians as an example within larger McCarthy-era trend of anti-communist purging in unions.