TARAZONA CARVAJAL v. MIJELUM, L.L.C.

**Court Upholds Union Victory in Wage Dispute Against Nursing Home** This case involved a wage theft dispute between a union and Alaris Health at Hamilton Park, a nursing home facility. The union filed claims on behalf of workers who allegedly had their wages illegally withheld or underpaid by their employer. The dispute went through arbitration, where an arbitrator ruled in favor of the union and the workers. When the nursing home failed to respond to the original court case, the court entered a default judgment confirming the arbitrator's decision. The nursing home then tried to challenge this default judgment, asking the court to throw it out. The court rejected the nursing home's attempt to overturn the ruling. The judge denied their motion to vacate the default judgment, meaning the original decision favoring the union and workers remains in place. **What this means for workers:** This ruling reinforces that employers cannot simply ignore legal proceedings, even when disputes go through arbitration. When unions successfully fight wage theft cases and employers fail to properly defend themselves in court, the pro-worker decisions will be enforced. It also shows that arbitration can be an effective tool for recovering stolen wages when unions are involved.