Labor News & Commentary May 3, 2024 Trader Joe's must pay its union for bringing a meritless lawsuit & more

https://onlabor.org/may-3-2024/

By Holt McKeithan

Holt McKeithan is a student at Harvard Law School.

In today’s News and Commentary, Trader Joe’s must pay its union for bringing a meritless lawsuit, and reports show that U.S. union workers saw record pay raises and Latino worker deaths are surging.

Trader Joe’s was ordered to pay Trader Joe’s United $100,000 in attorneys’ fees by Judge Vera of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. Judge Vera found that Trader Joe’s trademark lawsuit against the union was meritless and designed to harass the union during its organizing drive. The lawsuit, which was dismissed in January, alleged the union’s merchandise violated Trader Joe’s trademark rights by utilizing the store’s logo. Judge Vera said the case was “dangerously close” to being frivolous and would not have been filed “absent the ongoing organizing efforts that Trader Joe’s employees have mounted (successfully) in multiple locations across the country.” Trader Joe’s was represented by Latham & Watkins.

Unionized private-sector workers in the U.S saw record raises of 6.3%. That marks the largest increase since 2001, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Meanwhile, nonunion workers’ pay rose 4.1% over the same period, barely beating inflation. Unions have won notable victories in the last year, including the UAW’s contract with the Big Three automakers, which included a 25% increase across 4.5 years, as Sunah reported in October.

FULL story at link.