Supreme Court Case Of The Century?

From the Chicago Tribune: Steel workers who do their jobs wearing flame-retardant gear tried to convince the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that they should be paid for the time they spend "donning and doffing" such items before and after their shifts.
In a case that could affect unionized workers in poultry processing, meat packing and other sectors, roughly 800 current and former workers at the United States Steel Corp plant in Gary, Indiana, are seeking the extra
A crucial point in the case is the difference between "clothes" and "protective gear."
In high court arguments, the nine justices struggled to clearly differentiate between the two - a task that the U.S. Labor Department has only made harder over the years.
The distinction is important because unionized employees are not entitled to pay for the time it takes to change clothes before and after each shift if their union and their employer have agreed to this by custom or agreement.
Under the law, workers do have to be paid for the time it takes to put on and take off essential protective workplace gear that is not "clothes," regardless of what their contract says.
The U.S. Steel workers say that flame-retardant jackets and pants, work gloves, wristlets, hard hats and other items they have to wear are "personal protective equipment," not clothes.
U.S. Steel disagrees, saying any wearable item is clothes. As a result, the company says, it should not have to pay unionized employees for "donning and doffing."  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-employment-donning-20131104,0,2621551.story
You would think with all the crap that is going on in Washington D.C., from the NSA spying case, ObamaCare, the budget along with other more serious issues in the States, like land owner rights and the Fed's over stepping their authority in many different instances, the IRS scandals- you would think the Supreme Court would have better things to do.
And for the record, the employee should be ready for work, including being in protective clothes when it is time for them to report for work.