Caterpillar wants to call in replacements

In the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Peoria, Ill., the manufacturer asked to bar the state from enforcing the Employment of Strikebreakers Act. The law was changed when Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed an amendment that prevents companies from using temporary replacements for strikers.

The lawsuit contends the ESA violates Caterpillar's 14th Amendment right of equal protection under the U.S. Constitution, the Peoria Journal Star reported.

Caterpillar's ability to use replacement workers enabled it to continue working and produce record profits during a 6 1/2-year labor dispute in the 1990s.