Uniform provider sues union for defamation

Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004 | 11:31 a.m.

SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

CINCINNATI -- Cintas Corp., which provides industrial and business uniforms, filed a multiple-count federal lawsuit on Tuesday against UNITE, the Union of Needletrades, Industrial & Textile Employees.

The suit alleges defamation, illegal use of trade secrets and other actions in the past year during the union's efforts to organize Cintas' employees.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati, seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages. It alleges that UNITE obtained Cintas' customer and prospect lists, account information and other trade secret information through "theft, misrepresentation, and inducing breach of confidential relationships."

"We believe people have the right to say yes to unions, and the freedom to say no," Cintas CEO Scott Farmer said in a statement. "We equally believe that the union does not have the right to intentionally, knowingly and maliciously damage our company and harm our employee-partners and their livelihood."

The union launched an effort 13 months ago to organize about 17,000 Cintas workers. The union, on its website, alleged that during its organizing campaign, Cincinnati-based Cintas fired pro-union workers and threatened to close plants.

A union spokeswoman was not immediately available for further comment on the lawsuit, which was disclosed late Tuesday.

In December, Cintas was accused by the National Labor Relations Board of violating federal labor laws in four states, including Nevada, by trying to prevent employees from joining the union.

The company, which denied the NLRB accusation, has plants in North Las Vegas, Henderson and Sparks.